Sunday, May 15, 2005

What was God thinking? (part 4)

Thank you so much for the comments. They are encouraging and wonderful, like water for a wayworn desert traveler. Oh, before I start, dear hubby clarified that it wasn't a hurricane, but Tropical Storm Francis. Sorry about that. So, onward we go.

Let me tell you, this was one of the most frightening experiences I have ever had. As we got on the interstate, Mike hands me the map and says I need to help him pick the best way out of there. We had two choices. If we took I10, which went around the city, it would put us closer to the storm. The other route went directly over Lake Pontchartrain, which was shorter but put us over water the entire way. We reasoned it out and went for the shorter route.

Visibility? None. Traffic? Bumper to bumper. Everyone was fleeing out of the city. We moved at a snails pace but at least we were moving. The storm was blowing in and there we sat on this long waterway bridge, surrounded by water, rain and wind. It reminded me of the Seven Mile Bridge out to the Florida keys. Low and long!

Then traffic completely stopped. I kept looking to the left and the right, praying and hoping nothing was coming our way. Never did I expect to see siren lights behind us. Cars started pulling as close to the cement walls to let the ambulance inch slowly past. Could this be the reason for the slowed traffic, I wondered. What if we're stuck here for hours? The idea of sitting in a car on a bridge in the middle of a tropical storm did nothing for my already wound-up-tighter-than-a-spring nerves.

Honestly, from that point on, it's a blur. Whatever happened that day on the bridge, we never found out. Traffic started moving again, and we slowly made our way back to Memphis. I was so grateful to God for busting down those walls and keeping us safe in the storm. What a relief it was to get home.

Then the objective was to pack, because in four days we had a plane to catch to Switzerland. Was I ready? Yes. Did I want to go? Yes. Did I know what God was up to? Definitely not.

Why? Because after we got there and ewed and awed over all the wonderful sights, the gorgeous city, the funky grocery stores and flats, the whole deal fell through. It wasn't looking good. All that rush for nothing. For nothing? Ah, come on, God. What's going on here?

But He didn't say a word.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

That's it! You're not allowed to read Brandilyn's blog anymore! LOL I hate driving over water. I can't imagine what it was like during a Tropical storm.