The Tale of The Lady and The Snowy Roads

There once was a lady who hated to have to drive on snowy/icy roads. Having been born and raised in the South, where one look out the window at the flurries coming down was sure assurance of staying put for the day, she had never needed to learn the art. Add to that the fact that she was the youngest in her family, with two brothers and a father who were always up for an excuse to drive in inclement weather, and you really couldn't blame her for never having developed any driving skills!

Now it so happened that this lady married a man from the North. Ten years later, she finds herself far, far from her safe, confortable South. Here, the snow falls in thick, heavy flakes and the wind whips and shrieks and the temperatures drop to alarming digits and she waits in vain for the phone call that will signal a huge sigh of relief and staying put on a school day. Indeed, she has come to not even expect the call, although the hope is always there in the deepest corners of her heart.

It was on just such a blustery, snowy day as this that the lady looked grimly out of her window at 7 a.m. and gritted her teeth. In vain she hoped for a phone call from the man or his son who lived up the hill offering her the hallowed words "I can take your children to school!" Bravely she swallowed the urge to make that phone call and grovel for yet another favor and prove once again her chicken heart. Resolutely she packed lunches and fed children and combed hair. "I will do it myself," she vowed, and stomped out into the freezing air to scrape the snow and start the van.

And she did.

Carefully she manuevered the curves and the hills. "If you Ever live Anywhere close to a woman who needs to drive in this stuff and you know she hates to drive, promise me you'll Offer To Drive!!" she forcefully admonished her son as she went. The words of her husband rang in her ears, "You'll be fine, just drive slow!" Not once did she spin; not once did she slide. Children delivered, she turned again into the falling snow and carefully retraced her tracks. Only one thought clouded her proud satisfaction at accomplishing the dreaded task on her own (Well, make that two. She knew she had a bad attitude and rather deserved to slide into the ditch...): The Lane. Could she make it back up the lane?

And she did!

She gave it the gas and she battled her way and she made it, safe and sound, back into her own warm little house. "Ok," the lady said. "I shouldn't have been so mad," said she. "That proves it's not as bad as I make it out to be," she decided. "But how does one know when one should swallow one's pride and ask for help or whether one should put one's 'big girl panties' on and do it oneself?" And thus arguing in her mind, she sipped her tea and checked in on the happenings in the world of Facebook.

Much to the lady's surprise (and delight) she found much comfort and companionship in the FB world! There she found other ladies who hated the driving, who gritted their teeth and prayed their way through. Happily she joined with the commentors who wondered at the wisdom of school boards and who dreaded the thought of the afternoon run which awaited them all on roads which could only be worse with the snow continuing to pour from the sky! And as the hours sped by, the feeling of dread grew and she texted her husband "What am I going to do come 3:00? I don't want to be a baby and I hate being a pain but I REALLY don't want to go back out there!!"

The lady's husband replied predictably, "It's only 1:00. Just chill." To which the lady shot back a quick reply informing him in no uncertain terms that 2 hours could only make things worse with the snow that was coming down and etc and so forth and the husband calmly returned "Right but in the next 2 hours the Lord will take care of it. Sit tight." Ok, decided the lady. We shall see. And she waited. But then a thought struck her "But can He do it in 1 and a half hours? Its Wednesday you know.... :)" To which her husband replied "He probably forgot that part........ :)" and she returned "I'll be sure and mention it to Him! :)"

At 1:45 the lady's phone let out a shrill ring! Hurrying to snatch it before the baby stirred, the lady wondered briefly at the number she didn't recognize "Hello?" oh, it was a lady from church. "Oh, I'm pretty good." "Have you found a man to bring your children home from school?" "Well, no. I haven't asked anyone yet," she admitted. "My husband is coming over your way and said he'd be glad to bring them home. Would that help you out?" What?! You're kidding, right? ....stammer, stutter....eyes wide as plates.... "Yes! Yes, that would be wonderful! Thank you so much....."

Immediately the lady dialed her husband's phone "Did YOU ask someone to bring my children home?" "No." Amazement. Unbelief. Tear filled eyes. And the lady sat with head bowed, a feeling of awe engulfing her, for the thought would not be shaken that the ground on which she stood was Holy.