As Tim drove the car back down Mine Road, I felt like Wrongway Feldman from the TV series “Gilligan’s Island.” In case you’re unfamiliar with him, he was a pilot who always flew his plane in the wrong direction. While we weren’t traveling in an airplane, we were traveling in the opposite direction from our destination.
We were headed to at a restaurant in Morristown to meet some relatives for lunch. It had been a while since we had all been together, so we were excited about being with them again. Living close to Emory Rd, we took the back way to instead of getting on the interstate. As we’re traveling down Mine Rd, we saw “Closed to Thru Traffic” signs. We continued on since we thought there would detour signs to lead us to Asheville Hwy/11E. About a mile and a half from 11E, Mine Rd was completely barricaded with no more detour signs. In all fairness, those detour signs were miles back and they all lead back to Rutledge Pike. Too bad those signs didn’t read: “For you non-locals, turn back now!”
As we drove back down the road, we desperately searched on our smart phones for a side road that would take us to 11E. The service there was poor, so we couldn’t pull up any road maps. If you’re wondering about GPS, I don’t have one. Why? Ironically, I didn’t see the use of it since I have a smart phone.
“So, which way do I turn when we reach Rutledge Pike?” Tim desperately asked as we neared it. I understood how he felt. There’s one thing that we can’t stand and that’s being late. We were to meet our family at 1 O’clock and it was already 12:45. I knew there was no way we were going to get there on time.
“Turn to the right,” I told him. “If we go left, we’ll be backtracking and that will cost more time. Besides, we may still find a road on up that’ll lead us back to Asheville Hwy.” Tim thought he remembered a side road that lead to Cherokee dam. If we made it to there, then we would be good. But he hadn’t been there since he was a teenager and he wasn’t exactly sure which road it was. My son-in-law Jordan finally got the maps to come up on his phone. “In 30 miles, we can catch 25E. It’ll take us to Morristown.”
Have you ever seen a cartoon character that was so upset or frustrated that steam came out of its ears? That’s exactly how I felt at that moment. While we were technically not lost, we were forced to take the long way to reach our destination. I imagined our hungry family waiting on us and constantly checking their watches. “It’ll be okay Mom.” My daughter Sara tried to console me. I knew she was right. So, I decided to take in the view as we traveled. Then an amazing thing happened.
As we drove, I began to take in the graceful rolling hills of East Tennessee and the landscape that’s dotted with old farmhouses, barns and churches. Each little town we passed through had its own charm. Basically, I felt the hand of God in everything I saw.
“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen. I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10 (KJV)
I was traveling in a car with other people, so while I wasn’t being physically still, I was that way mentally and spiritually. Some people think you have to be completely alone in total silence to know God. If you can do that, then that’s great. But if you can’t, you can always be still in your mind and soul.
We arrived at the restaurant by 1:15, so we did well. I like to think that Wrongway Feldman would’ve been proud of us.
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.