I’m not sure why I thought of this story today. Maybe it’s because I am still trying to wash the
road grime off the van from our trip to Florida and back. But for some reason it clicked and inspired this pad.

While on the road to Florida that first day, I could not get over how many cars we saw on the side
of the road, changing a flat tire. Some of you may remember my experience from back on February 8th,
when the van had one go flat and come off the rim in 6 degree weather…in the dark. That was
fun to change. So I’ve been there, done that. I was lucky enough to be in a parking lot. But this
is on a highway…with cars flying by at 70+ mph…less than 10ft away from you. People’s minds drift
on the open road, and all it takes is a split second to drift off and you’ve killed someone who
was just trying to drive his family to Florida for a Disney vacation.

So all I can think along the way is, “Please let us make it to Florida without a flat tire or a
major breakdown”. I was very worried about taking my family on the road, and as I’m making my way
from state to state, I begin to develop a new level of respect for my father, who did the same
thing several times throughout the 80’s and early 90’s when we would go visit my grandparents in Florida.

All goes well with the trip down, and I’m very impressed with the van and the comforts it allows
us to have. My first, and many subsequent trips in my youth, were in a mid size station wagon.
No reclining seats, no dvd entertainment, and minimal cargo space. Still, we made the best of it.

So we’re on our way back thru Kentucky on the Pennyrile Parkway, when we notice another minivan
ahead of us, listing quite a bit to the left. My initial thought was that this guy has something
heavy on the left side of the cargo area. Not the case. As we pull into the left lane to pass him,
we notice that his left front tire is quite low. Not to the rim yet, but its close. So I have
Margaret motion to him that his tire is low and needs to pull over before it destroys itself from
the heat it is surely building up. He nods in acknowledgment and waves in appreciation.

As we finish passing him, Margaret mentions that he was a smaller and older gentleman and that I
should probably stop to assist. I agree and start to slow down and move over to the shoulder.
He follows me off to the side as far as we safely can and get out to assess the situation.

By this time, it’s rim touching pavement. Not good.

We start to locate and unload the jack and space saver spare tire. He thanks me for my assistance
several times during the first few minutes that we are out there. The whole time I’m splitting my
attention between him and the oncoming traffic. I’m fairly sure I changed that tire by feel as I
was 4ft away from the thin white line on the edge of the road. At any given moment, I’m ready to
grab this guy and throw ourselves into the ditch if it appears that a vehicle is going to get too
close to us. Fortunately, nearly all the drivers see us and move into the center lane.

He continues to thank me during what seemed like the fastest pit stop ever recorded but at the same
time, WAY longer than I would ever want to spend on the side of the road changing a flat. As I’m
tightening up the lugs, I mention to him that we’re on our way back from Disney and how this was my
biggest fear about the whole trip. He thanks me again and offers to pay me for my generosity and
bravery. I politely decline, adding that we were so fortunate not to have any issues on our trip,
that this was my way of paying it forward.

As we throw what’s left of the tire into the back of his van, he reaches out and shakes my hand and
asks me for my name and my wife’s. I replied with our first names which he repeats to himself a
few times out loud. He asks if it would be ok if he could pray for us as a way to thank us for our gift of service.

Of course it is.