When the program ended at 9 p.m., I went outside into four inches of snow in my slip-on shoes and thin socks that I surely would not have worn if only I had known. I made my way to the parking lot, retrieved the seldom-used snow scraper out of my glove compartment and began to clear the car, trying my best not to dump the snow onto my feet. My instep caught a few flakes and I shivered, but kept working, knowing my car was warming up as I scraped so when I got in at least I would be warm.
As I exited the snow-blanketed parking lot, I discovered the road was just as covered. I had never driven on that road from Frankfort to Lexington, but all I had to do was drive 11 miles and I would end up at my sister-in-law's house. Couldn't be too hard, could it? It seemed a much better option than driving all the way back to Lancaster.
Creeping down the road
So I got on the road and I crept. The white layer totally obliterated any road markings so I had to rely on mailboxes, road signs and previously driven-in tire tracks to judge if I was on my side of the road.
The snow was coming down in curtains that limited my vision to a few feet in front of the car.
I proceeded at a snail's pace, praying constantly as I went. At one point, I was so paralyzed by fear that I looked for a house with a light on. Of course, I didn't look too thoroughly because I feared taking my eyes off the small patch of road that I could actually see in front of me. But I wanted a little reassurance that if I should reach an impassable point, I could knock on someone's door and ask for shelter. Yes, it would be a total stranger's door and I wouldn't know what was on the other side, but I could hope for the best.
With that option in the back of my mind, I called on the guardian angels to guide me and proceeded. After what felt more like 60 miles than 11, the welcoming house of my own family allowed me a sigh of relief.
It was the next afternoon, however, when I could finally chuckle about it.
I returned home after the roads cleared and began my afternoon as I typically begin my morning. I read the Bible scriptures for the day.
Right there in Isaiah 55, I read verse 10: "For just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth ..."
I laughed. God does have a sense of humor.
Beth Dotson Brown writes from Lancaster. You can reach her at www.bethdotsonbrown.net.
