A Trucker's Prayer by Ned Barr

The following is a post a friend of mine, Ned Barr, painter and Geocacher made on his Facebook "notes" section. He originally wrote it on a geocache (www.geocaching.com). It is of an experience he had on a busy highway where he lives in Colorado. He asked me to read it as he thought I might find something in it for my self. You probably will for yourself, also.

The cache is called, "A Trucker's Prayer" You can find it on the above link. A truck driver wrote it and people who stop and sign the log at this cache, as I did, will have read the prayer on line under the cache title. Okay?

Beginning of the article written by Ned Barr.

So I stopped, as many others had done, to sign the log at the cache. Here is what I wrote.

"I also am a trucker (not driving big rigs now), so I love this prayer. I have stopped on cold, miserable nights, right at this spot, more than once, waiting for a snow plow to follow over Monarch Pass headed west for Gunnison, Delta, Grand Junction or some place in a more-western state. Many lives have been lost and many have been seriously injured on this very dangerous hill over the years. People in trucks and cars and on motorcycles and what-have-you.

"While retrieving this little cache with its log, I very nearly witnessed what would have been a fatal head-on between a large propane tanker and an RV. The RV was simply (for whatever reason) in the wrong lane (over the yellow line) going up hill. The tanker coming down, These two vehicles and several following the RV would have all crashed and burned just a few feet away from where I stood, holding my breath. Would I have survived?

"So what did the tanker-driver do? The right thing! He locked his brakes and skidded right, onto the break-down lane on the down-hill side. Very dangerous. While the truck tires screeched and smoked, the RV somehow managed to regain part of its proper lane and all went quiet within a few seconds as the up-hill vehicles went on as if nothing had happened. A close call, to say the least! The RV and cars were gone, the truck was stopped on the side in its tracks. The driver got out to check his tires and take a deep breath, no doubt. Rubber on the pavement still smoked.

"I walked quickly across the road and offered my hand in congratulations to this (fellow) truck driver for avoiding this awful catastrophe. He saved the day, by the grace of God. I tried to think of something encouraging to say, but he was grinning in relief! We exchanged a few brotherly, truck-driver, words. His truck was empty, which is why it skidded easily, but full of explosive fumes, from the propane. No jack-knife this time. No carnage on the highway just then. Whew! Thank You, Lord.

"Everyone should know that when a citation is issued following a big truck vs. car accident, the driver of the car gets the ticket 75 per cent of the time. What does that tell you? No one is perfect, but this truck driver deserves a medal. A hero.

"God bless ALL the people who survived this one, on this day.

"Again thanks for the trucker's prayer, thanks for the cache. I signed the log with a grateful heart and was on my way up the hill to find another one (cache). Hallelujah."

Final note on FB: If you know a truck driver you might want to thank him personally for getting that food on your table delivered.... or that propane you burn in your furnace or stove. Thanks for reading!

Ned Barr