I kept checking the weather app desperate for something to change.  But, no matter how many times I closed and opened the app, no matter how many times I wished for a different outcome, it was always the same.  The chance of rain was high, really high, and I knew our drive was going to be difficult.  Ugh!  I wanted to back out of our plans, to come up with an excuse to stay home, but I knew that would only deepen my fear. What fear? The fear of driving in the mountains.   It’s not a paralyzing fear like I’ve been dealing with when flying, but it scares me nonetheless. 

Side note: Driving in the mountains is so beautiful even if it is a bit scary.

Two of my adult children would be arriving soon and we’d load up the car and take off on a road trip that would take us “over the river and through the woods” but not to Grandma’s house.  Ha! We were headed to a wedding in Nashville, TN, it was going to be a great time celebrating and seeing family and old friends.  The excitement of seeing so many familiar faces outweighed my dread of driving over the Smoky Mountains. 

Sort of. 

We were no more than an hour from the house when the rain started, and I do mean RAIN.  It wasn’t sprinkling or misting, it was seriously raining.   I don’t like driving in the rain, does anyone? But I figured it would be okay if it stopped before we reached the Smokies; my daughter picked out a book for us to listen to as we traveled the six plus hours and we typed Buc-ee’s into the navigation.  I learned a trick from my sister, if you put your stops along the way to your destination in the navigation, the trip won’t seem so long. It’s definitely a mental trick, but it works for me.  I love Buc-ee’s, it makes any trip better.  Their brisket sandwiches, homemade potato chips and dark chocolate, sea salt and caramel fudge are the best things about traveling.  

I’m suddenly hungry.

Anyway, back to my point in writing this. 

I remember so clearly rounding a curve and finding myself face to face with a daunting looking mountain on the horizon.  The rain was still coming down hard and there were more semi-trucks on the road than I’d seen in my whole life.  You know how it is, those big trucks drive by and throw up water from the road onto your windshield all while rain is pelting from the sky.  It’s just not fun.  Then there’s always the few souls who must like hydroplaning because they travel at speeds dangerously high ignoring the state of the highway.   Why do people do that? 

I took a deep breath, prayed in my mind for safety and kept going.

I feel like I need to add something here, maybe someone needs to hear it? I’ve learned to pray to be “seen” when I drive.  So often accidents happen and it’s because one person didn’t see the other, so I pray to be seen and it gives my heart some peace.

Anyway, something I was really looking forward to on this trip was spending some quality time with my kids.  They’re adults with busy lives and getting to spend hours together in a small space sounded great to me.  I’m not sure if they were as excited about it as I was, I’m just going to assume they were because it makes me happy.  We were talking, snacking, and listening to the book while I was gripping the steering wheel and praying constantly.  I’ve learned I can be quite the multi tasker when necessary.  I kept watching the miles decrease as we neared Buc-ee’s and I stayed focused on the road ahead of me.  We rounded lots of curves, our ears popped as we drove higher and higher, we even went through a tunnel.  I did my best to stay calm but when we reached what felt like the sky after driving “up” so much, it happened.  I remember thinking, of course this happens because this trip if supposed to be full of fears to face, I suppose.

It was fog.

The kind of fog where people slowed way down and drove with their hazard lights on.  I was already nervous from the outset, now my greatest concerns had all come to pass; rain, lots of traffic, mountains and thick fog.

I kept praying and listening to the book; I left the snacks alone, gripped the steering wheel and stared at the road like we were in the middle of a double dog dare.   I don’t know how many miles we traveled in the raining fog, but it was more than a few until it finally started to lift.  The rain continued to be relentless, but at least the fog lifted.  Traffic began to move a faster pace and, praise be, we began to travel down for the first time in quite a while.  I was so relieved and thankful the fog had lifted I almost began to thank the Lord for just rain.

 Almost. 

That’s exactly how it feels in life sometimes, circumstances will get hard (the rain) and I’ll get more serious about focusing on things that will help me through, then it gets even harder (the fog) and I wonder if I’ll even make it through.  All I can see or feel is the exact moment I’m in so I focus on what is right in front of me and double down in prayer.  It’s the only way to make it through.  Just like my drive through those mountains, I couldn’t stop, I HAD to get to the other side.  If I had stopped, it would’ve only prolonged the inevitable, there was no getting away, only getting through. 

I have no idea what you’re facing right now, I know I felt really compelled to write this today so I believe somebody besides me needs to hear it. 

Stay focused on what is good. 

Keep your eyes on what’s in front of you, even if it’s only the very next step.

Pray.  A lot.

We finally made it to Buc’ee’s.  I was never so glad to see a gas station in my entire life.  It gave me a chance to stretch my stiff arms and legs, I was so tense from difficult driving conditions.   And then, a few house later, we made it to Nashville!  I wish I could say it stopped raining, but it didn’t.   We traveled in the rain the rest of the trip, as a matter of fact it rained the next day too.  I learned I can do hard things, I can pray hard and trust that the fog will lift and the rain will eventually give way to sunny skies.

I just have to get through.