It’s a good thing my mom is brave because she’s the one who taught me how to drive.
It’s funny how different my mom and I are. For instance, driving came natural to her. Before she had her driver’s license, she was driving trucks and tractors across Papaw’s farm. Sometimes when Mamaw Girdle/Myrtle wanted an ice cream, she would give my then-12-year-old mother money for one. My mom would hop on the tractor and drive up to the store and buy her ice cream.
As for me, I stayed away from the farm vehicles. Why? I think it’s because of what happened when I was a little girl. At that time, Papaw would let me ride the tractor with him like he did my mom when she was my age. To me, it was better than any amusement park ride. One time when he was letting me steer, I decided to have a little fun and do something different by weaving the tractor around. Let’s just say Papaw didn’t appreciate that. At all. He never let me steer again, so I quit riding the tractor with him. After that, I was only interested in riding my tricycle and then my bike later.
That is until I turned 15.
I had planned to take driver’s ed in high school, but I couldn’t work it into my class schedule, so my mom took it on herself to teach me how to drive.
She drove us to the church parking lot because she wanted to get the feel for the car without being on the road. Once there, we traded places so that I was behind the wheel.
To be honest, I was a little nervous. I think that’s why I did what I did when mom told me to pull on up into the parking lot. I politely put the car into reverse and hit the gas. Yep, we went flying backwards and out onto the road.
After I got stopped, she asked, “Why in the world did you put the car in reverse?” I answered: “I got confused and thought R was for ride.” It was like a scene out of a sitcom.
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” Isaish 41:10 (KJV)
Mom and I both realized God had His hand on us in that nobody else was on the road the moment I zoomed backwards into it. I daresay there are perils and threats that He keeps away that we don’t even realize were a danger to us. It’s something to not only think about, but also to be thankful for.
My “R is for ride” became a joke in our family. When Sara had her learner’s permit, I sometimes would say to her, “Remember, R isn’t for ride.” She would just roll her eyes and that told me I was doing my job as her mom.
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book, “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.