The following was written by my late wife Elaine. She wrote a long book, a diary really, from which this is one passage:
Accidents During My Homebound Teacher Years
On my way to a student’s home, I stopped and waited behind a large trash truck which was blocking the road. To my surprise, the driver of the trash truck didn’t see me, and he went in reverse and backed into me right while I sat there waiting for him to move. He was a very nice, friendly young man who said,“Oh, my father’s going to kill me. This is the second time I’ve backed into somebody with his truck.” Ha; it seemed funny! We exchanged insurance info, and I called the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company; he (or his father?) was insured there, and coincidentally another of my homebound students then was a daughter of the agent at Nationwide who I asked to speak to when I reported the accident. Anyway, $579.30 was paid to me for this damage. And I hope the friendly young man learned to use his rearview mirror.
The Celestial Hitchhiker
There was a school bus accident on Route 122 one morning, which caused the bus, carrying 26 students, to roll over, and go part-way down a hill. The driver had done his very best to keep the bus under control after swerving to avoid a deer. Some students were taken to nearby hospitals and released after examinations and treatments, except for two who were kept overnight. I appreciated HHM’s (Harry Mohler, Editor) article in the Watchman which included this rhetorical paragraph:
When and where did you pick up that extra passenger, and were you aware of His presence on board? I’m making reference to that Celestial Hitchhiker who absorbed the shock of the 26 young bodies banging around inside the unpadded bus body as it rolled over; the Mystery Rider who also made sure the escape hatches and emergency door weren’t damaged, and that fuel lines didn’t rupture and spew fuel out onto hot brakes and the engine. He must have been there!
We miss you, Harry!
To be continued…
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About the Author: RD Blakeslee is a nonagenarian in West Virginia who built his net worth by only investing in that which can be enjoyed during acquisition and throughout life, as opposed to papers in a drawer, like stocks and bonds. You can read more about him here.
Photos: Courtesy of the Blakeslee Family
I suspect you won’t see many “celestial hitchhikers” in articles these days. The author would probably get sued.
Thanks for sharing.
I know that an angel turned my work vehicle. It stopped right between a giant cedar tree and less than a foot from a house. I am no INDY 500 driver.
You know, if God hadn’t watched out for me, you’d not have the fruit cake jokes Len comes to expect every year.