After a good week at Corolla, NC on vacation, Joan and I headed home yesterday. We were supposed to come home today, but me being the brilliant deducer of amazing things that I am, decided that we needed to come home a day early. So, we left the coast at 9:30 AM headed west right into the teeth of the worst winter storm predictions in several years. Things went well for a while, then we encountered snow around Greensboro. The farther west we traveled the worse the storm became. We made good time and had little to no trouble navigating the roads until we reached Hickory, NC.

When we got there, just 20 miles from home, we found our way blocked by a wreck on the Catawba River bridge. We sat there for an hour, then turned around and sought a different route home. We struck out down Connelly Springs Road and did well until we came to Castle Bridge, which also crosses the Catawba River. We sat there in traffic for nearly an hour until a wreck was cleared away. We drove for about 5 miles and had to wait again, this time for over an hour and a half because of some wrecks up the road. I contacted a church member, who is also a fireman (Thanks Sam!), and he suggested an alternate route. We took his advice and were making great progress until we came to a hill that had been rutted out by big 4×4 truck tires. I couple not coax the Camry up the incline! So, I called Sam again and his wife Sherry rolled to our rescue. Sam and a few other guys helped push us up the hill.

We finally made it home around 11:00 PM, followed all the way by Sam and Sherry. (Thanks a lot guys!) Did I mention that we were in the midst of a snowstorm? Did I mentioned that several inches of the white stuff fell while we were spending 7 hours trying to travel twenty miles? Did mention that 14 hours in a car is a long time? Did I mention that I am glad to be home? Did I mention that I regret trading the ’05 Yukon 4×4 we had for the 2-wheeled drive Toyota Camry? However, the Camry did great! It cruised along and rolled past several 4×4’s that were stuck in the snow.

Anyway, I thank the Lord for watching out after us as we traveled. I appreciate the friends who called us along the way to make sure we were OK. I appreciate the folks who came to our rescue.

So, due to the snow there will be no church at Calvary tomorrow. I know that some folks will have it, but I tend to err on the side of caution. I try to think about the people who would come if the doors were opened, people who could be hurt badly if they slipped on ice and fell. I try to remember that God is not up in Heaven waiting to see whether or not we will punch the clock this Sunday. I try to remember that He knew Sunday was coming when He sent the snow. Anyway, I will miss my fellow church members tomorrow, but we will meet on Wednesday and go to meeting. I can’t wait!

Alan