I got up early Sunday morning on June 19th and went to church.  A vacation for me doesn’t mean a vacation from God.  I take my faith seriously, it’s a struggle.  Patience is not one of my strong suits.  I talk to God about my lack of patience all the time, among other things.  You’ll understand more about why I mention patience in a bit.

After church I returned to my friends home where Michael packed me a lunch and he and Natalie gave me big hugs.  The hugs said we would see each other again soon and I miss you already, all at the same time.  I was off to the car wash and the hardware store nearby and then onward to Maine.  My errands being complete I got on the coast road northbound towards Boston and then Maine from Scituate.

I was stopped at a light when it happened.  Being in no particular hurry and knowing I only needed to be in Cleveland by the evening of June 21st to pick up my son Joshua, I happily sat at the light.  As I do often while waiting at a traffic light with no one behind me, I kept checking my rear view mirror.  I glanced into my mirror and saw a car coming at about 25-30 mph and the driver was looking down and to the right.  I said out loud, “Oh man!”  I knew he was going to hit me.  I knew it was going to change my travel plans.  I didn’t know how much.  He hit me.  He looked up only after hitting me.  We pulled to the side of the road and he and I met where our cars met.  I said, “the only thing we are required to do when we drive, is pay attention.”  I was upset.  Then I caught myself.  This is where my patience needed to kick in.  I asked him if he was ok and asked him to follow me into a parking lot adjacent to where we crashed.  I wanted us to be safe.  I felt ok at the time we started to exchange information but then I started to feel pain in my upper back, neck and left shoulder.  As a courtesy to him I told him I was having pain and where.  He said, “I don’t see that.”  I took a deep breath and called the police for a report.

Police, fire and ambulance came.  They checked me out and I did not go to the hospital.  The cop did an exchange of information on her form and gave us both a copy.

I called my friends Natalie and Michael.  They were at the beach.  They dropped their plans and came and got me.  I was comforted to know that I was 2700 miles from home and I had family here to take care of me.  Natalie drove my car and Michael drove me back to their home.  I stayed there that night.  My family took care of me.  We all decided to see how I felt in the morning and that would determine if I would continue on my road trip.  Cleveland and Joshua were on my mind.  Patience.

I felt ok.  Joshua and Cleveland were calling.  One less day to get there meant longer drives.  Longer drives meant possibly feeling really sore and uncomfortable.  I felt the pain.  I pressed on to Cleveland and Joshua.

Patience.  The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.  Patience.

The drive through New Hampshire and Vermont was beautiful.