Black Ice Ahead

Having been raised in Sacramento, Ca snow is not something I am on particularly good terms with. I look upon it as something to be avoided, a necessary evil if you will. However, a few years ago I acquired a rush-hour commute from Pleasant Grove to Provo and learned some valuable lessons along the way. One Tuesday morning in November, I woke up expecting to find mounds of snow piled high on the streets. To my surprise the snow had been cleared from the roads...SCORE!! I was off the hook for another morning...or so I thought. Once I hit Orem it was a different story. Lets just say the road crews in Orem are not quite as efficient ...black ice and snow covered the roads...traffic slowed and I was a little tense but so far doing okay. My turn was coming up. As I attempted to move to the left hand turn lane I slid on ice. Having never driven in snow I reacted and made the wrong decision. I finally was able to stop my car. Unfortunately, the front end of my car was in the lane to my right and I didn't have enough room to straighten out and complete the turn. For the first time in my life I felt utterly helpless behind the wheel of my car. I wanted to get out and just walk away. I wanted someone..anyone else to drive my car and fix my problem. The problem I was sure I could not fix on my own. I was done. I didn't want to keep going. I know that sounds dramatic but I literally felt helpless. I was sure that if I drove any further my car would be history and I would probably take someone with me in the process. However, reality struck hard and I realized that walking away was not a viable option. I couldn't just leave my car on state street! I chose to turn my car in the right direction once again and go straight...there was more than one way to get to work. I would just have to try another intersection. So down the ice-covered hill I went. I made it successfully down the hill and stopped at the light. I was almost there-I could see the hospital. I was only a few minutes away from walking safely into work when my car lurched forward. Yes, the guy behind me slid on ice and right into the back of my car. Great. I never submitted a claim for it. My car wasn't dented. He only scratched some paint off my bumper. I wasn't hurt. Besides, there were scratches in other places on my car - it was an accident. It could have just as easily been me who hit someone else. I let it go.

Why do I write this...because all my life I've listened to people tell incredible stories about things they learned from seemingly small experiences...and I FINALLY got my own. What did I learn...1. I learned that quite often, I think I've got things all figured out. I assume that because a 'road' or a choice looks like its going to be easy it may not stay that way. There may be unseen and unanticipated obstacles along the way. 2. I learned that there will always be 'ice' on the roads of life...but the choices we make and how we react is the important thing. 3. I learned that even if we make a wrong choice...we can start over...there is always another right choice...we may have to stay on the 'ice' a little longer...but we'll eventually get there. 4. I learned that sometimes we choose a path and at the last second be are 'prompted' to take another path. We don't always get to know why. 5. I learned that sometimes you think you are safe. That you've made it without a scratch- and then life hits you from behind. We are left with a few scratches but it's nothing that the atonement cannot correct. 6. And I learned that through all this...the bumps and scratches...when things get hard and we just want to quit...to say "that's it..I've had enough..I just want to walk away" ...we can't. We have to keep going...we don't have to do it alone..our Savior is there to take the wheel and direct our paths...but we have to be willing to move forward..we have to finish...