When Lightning Strikes
I’ve always been respectful of lightning. I’m not someone who likes to stay out on the boat when there’s a storm on the lake where we live. I’ve never wanted to take a walk on a golf course when there’s thunder around. And I really don’t like driving in heavy rain.
So yesterday, I’m driving to Florida from Virginia. Three dogs with me. We were on I-95, a couple hours south of Jacksonville. I could see the storm up ahead. The sky was as black and ominous as I’ve ever seen a sky.
When the rain began, it didn’t do so in sprinkles. It came in heavy, blasting sheets that immediately cut all visibility but the taillights of the car in front of me. I immediately started looking for the next exit, so I could pull over somewhere and wait out the rain. But the next off ramp was four miles ahead. Traffic had now slowed to a crawl. I kept a safe distance between me and the car in front of me, noticing that the tractor trailer behind me was also doing the same, thank goodness.
Around mile marker 190, a lightning bolt struck the pavement right in front of my car. I saw a flash of red, just before I heard a deafening crack and felt the force of pavement flying up and hitting the underside of my vehicle. The force jerked the wheel in my hands, but I was able to control it because of my slow speed.
It’s amazing how quickly fear can grab you by the throat. I knew what had happened, but at the same time couldn’t believe it actually had. I immediately feared that the car might explode because I knew I had just run over the end of a lightning bolt.
I won’t kid you and say that I was as calm as a cucumber in figuring out what to do. I wasn’t. But I did manage to find the next exit and pull over to make sure my car wasn’t on fire.
Thankfully, it wasn’t. The windshield was broken. Other than that, we appeared to be okay.
I’ve said my prayers of thankfulness for the fact that no one was hurt yesterday, and I will continue to do so. But there’s no doubt that these moments in our lives make us question why we’re still here. I think, too, I’ll be looking for opportunities to be the kind of person who deserves the privilege.
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