Car Wrecks

Today, I drove Jamie's car to Whitehall from Missoula so he could potentially sell it to a friend of ours. On the way down the Butte Hill, driving on snow, ice and slush I went into a slide. I was thinking just before the slide about bad things happening to good people. I was thinking that bad things do happen and that prayer is about changing our souls. By souls I mean that "spiritual" part of us that can connect with God. I was thinking about how it doesn't matter so much what happens but our attitude about it and how the peace of Christ can overcome any obstacle. I was feeling that peace when the slide began. I turned into the slide (so proud of myself) and hit the medium (cement thing) with the front driver side bumper which knocked me in a circle and I hit the rear passenger side bumper, spun the whole 360 degree way around and was back on the road, driving down the hill. (I had not wet my pants - another thing I am proud of!) A policeman was 2 cars behind me and followed me about a forth of a mile, then pulled me over to see if I was alright. After I blubbered to him for a few seconds about how I was driving my son's car home to get sold and felt bad that it wouldn't get as much now, he looked the scrapes over and said it wasn't even bad enough to report, just some scrapes. He had another worse wreck to attend to down the road. I sat there a few minutes by myself, getting my tears out, thanked God I was alive and things weren't worse and then drove home, calling Jamie on the way to tell him about his car. (He was very gracious.)
The last time I had a bad wreck I was driving our new volkswagon station wagon home from Montana back to Independence in 1972 (approx) I came over the hill near Broadus to hit black ice. Before I started that slide I was thinking how proud Terry would be of me that I was making such good time. He was asleep in the back when I hit the ice. He kept saying things like, "Easy, don't over correct, keep it steady." Then the car spun around backwards, rolled over and landed on it's wheels in the barrow pit beside the road. I sat in the car as it's wheels wabbled to a stop, thinking that I had probably killed my husband who wasn't wearing a seatbelt. He must have known I was worried about him because the first thing he said was, "I'm alright. I'm alright." (reassuring tone) We checked each other out and I had a big bruise on my left upper arm. Nothing else was wrong with either of us.
About both wrecks Terry was reassuring, confident, thankful I was alright and ready to face this challenge, believing it would be alright.
Before I left Butte today, I prayed for a safe journey home. Before we left Montana in '72 we prayed for a safe journey. I have no answer for those who prayed for safe journeys and did not receive that blessing. Yet, I continue to pray and ask for journeys mercies. And many other mercies. And I continue to say a "done prayer" when I arrive safely. (when I remember) Do I do it because I can find peace no other way? Or because I believe God's hand is in all things when we pray? I don't have all the answers. But I do know that God's Spirit had been close to me, reassuring and blessing, even in the middle of trials. With it I can go through anything.
And, I believe, that sometimes, for reasons God only knows, God's hand reaches out and keeps us safe, even when we don't deserve it or pray.