March 31, 1999
DOWN HOME:
Watch out for that turtle
trundling down the road
___Our little trip almost turned out to be more than we bargained for.
___You may recall that I told you our daughter Lindsay has turned 15, taken driver's ed, passed her written test and received her learner's permit.
___So now,whether you like it or not, my daughter has Gov. Bush's permission to sit behind the wheel of our family sedan (She wishes it were a new yellow Volkswagen Beetle. Dream on, kiddo.) and point it up and down the highways and byways of Texas.
MARV KNOX
Editor
___So now, whether I'm ready or not, Lindsay has my permission to sit behind the wheel of our family sedan and learn to drive with me riding shotgun on the passenger side.
___By the way, somebody ought to come up with a fake steering wheel and brake pedal that parents of drivers-in-training can mount on the passenger side of their family sedans. They wouldn't do any good over there, but they'd make moms and dads feel a whale of a lot better.
___Anyway, Lindsay's learning to drive, and I encourage her to drive every time I feel up to it.
___The other day, we were out on an errand and Lindsay was behind the wheel of the aforementioned family sedan. I was watching the road through my fingers, and everything was going fine.
___We zipped past Sonic, puttered past the grocery store and trucked toward the 9-1-1 office (an ominous thought in itself). Then, all of a sudden, tragedy loomed on the horizon.
___Actually, it trundled down the street. A turtle ever-so-slowly crossed the road. Why? I don't know. Maybe it had a date with the chicken.
___Lindsay handled herself well. She looked in her rear-view mirror, flipped her turn signal, changed lanes and missed the turtle by several feet.
___"Wow, I'm glad we missed that turtle," Lindsay said as we stopped at the next intersection. "That would've made me cry if I hit him."
___Unless Lindsay retires from driving very soon, she's more than likely to hit that turtle's cousin. Or a quail, possum, armadillo, deer or lizard. If she's both fortunate and careful, she'll never hit a human being or a human being's automobile. I'm praying to that end.
___How many events are like that turtle? We're motoring along when the potential for chaos and/or carnage looms before us. We share the road of life with such "creatures." Sometimes we smack into them; other times we pass on by. But always they're there.
___Jesus admonished his followers to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves." That's pretty good advice for a 15-year-old driver. It's also strong wisdom for us all: Look down the road of life with caution and compassion. Take care, lest you run smack over one of God's innocent creatures.Frontpage / Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!