THURSDAY, SEPT 17

THURSDAY, SEPT 17:

      HOME!! About 7:30. Our final day – long and hot and not without incident. It was a very tight squeeze to back out of our site this morning. The owner/manager put someone new in across from us last night, and as I was returning from the bathroom near the office this morning and saw it, I thought, “We'll never get out of here; we'll need to ask them to move.” Unbeknownst to me, Bill had already attempted to back out, and bumped into their vehicle, knocking out a taillight. They were very calm about it, especially the man, who stated, “I'm not angry with you. I'm a Christian, and I know these accidents sometimes just happen.” His wife was not quite so unruffled at first, but after Bill contacted our insurance agent and put her on the line, she also was gracious and forgiving about it.

      The second interruption occurred just outside of Lawrence, KS, where we stopped to get gas and something to eat. Bill checked the tires, and saw that one of them was nearly bald. Again! Once more, provision was made in that we were only 5-10 minutes from a tire store. They told Bill that it looked from the wear on the front 2 tires that they were badly out of alignment. These were the 2 tires we had replaced in Oceanside! Either they were extremely cheap tires, or they must not have aligned them correctly. We'll look at the work order and see what we paid for, and try to get some compensation.

      But those frustrating moments were all forgotten when we rounded the curve of Spruce Forest Drive, drove up to 1112, and saw Landon in the hearth room window turn and run to open the garage door. Beth and Jason immediately followed. What joy to see them all! And what joy to be SAFELY home. On this trip, as never before, we were very aware of how easily and quickly a safe journey can turn into something else. I repeat – how grateful we are for God's protection each step of the way.