In the state of Tennessee, you can get your learners permit at the age of 15. Well, Abby did not push getting hers, so I did not mention it to her. She is now 16, and all of a sudden felt the urgent need to get that permit......she even said to us that she was behind everybody. Everyone else had their drivers license, she needed to get that permit so she could start driving. I have the awesome pleasure of teaching our girls to drive. It just seemed to be the natural thing to do since I was with them a whole lot more in the car than they were with their daddy. I remembered the nervousness I felt not only for Olivia but for myself as we were learning to drive.......and now here we were at round two......., its Abby's turn.
We took her to get her learner's permit and she failed the first test. I remember seeing her face when they told her she missed just one question too many. And the question was about drunk driving. She was crushed........I felt horrible. Not that she didn't pass the test, but that I still had a couple of days before the driving began and my hair turned just a little bit grayer. We waited the allotted 7 days, and this time her Daddy took her back to the testing center where she passed with flying colors. Did he let her drive to school when they left the DMV and let her get some much needed practice in? Why of course not........that job was for me. I told him he was a chicken. :) LOL!
Abby has been driving now for a couple of months, and I have to say that she is doing fairly well. But, yesterday was a BIG day. We were going to go driving on the Interstate. Abby's sister, Leanna, had to be in Nashville and Abby asked if she could drive home. I reluctantly said yes...........with major fear and trepidation I got into the passenger seat.........buckled in and said a quite prayer for safety. Abigail got in the drivers seat.....buckled in.........adjusted her mirrors and off we went. I am not going to lie............I was a nervous wreck!!! I was putting my life in my 16 year olds hands while letting her drive down a 6 lane interstate with speeding semi trucks and cars!!! WHAT WAS I THINKING?????? And, just where was her daddy during this very important moment of her life.........and mine?
Off we go.....with me working hard to keep my voice at normal tones and levels and letting her concentrate on driving down the very busy I-24 Interstate back towards Murfreesboro. With every semi that screamed past us, I was holding on to the seat praying. I looked over at Abby and you could tell she was really paying close attention to what she was doing.....which was a relief in some ways. She drove the speed limit, and we pretty much stayed in the far right lane.....where the slow cars drive. All the way home from Nashville, she really did a good job but I had never been so happy to see our exit looming in the distance.
We made it to our exit, and Abby pulls up to the merge sign and instead of looking at the traffic coming.......she just pulled straight out and merged without giving any right of way to the car that just about hit us and was slamming on their breaks. I could see my life pass before me! I screamed at Abby........STOP!!!! NOOOO........GAS IT! GAS IT!! Poor Abby got all flustered and did exactly the opposite of what I was telling her and let off the gas. It all felt as if we were in slow motion..............as slow as she possible could.......she pulled in front of this on coming car and very slowly got into her lane and very slowly kept going! The car that we almost had a major car wreck with, honked their horn, got in the next lane and flew past us while still honking the whole time!!!
"Abby.....merge means you stop and see if you can go....not pulling out in front of a speeding car!!!" ----------- "I KNOW MOM!!!" ---------------- "Then why were you driving soooooooo slow? Why did you not gas it!!???!!!" ------------------ "I don't know mom.....I kind of froze when I realize what I had done."
My heart was beating soooo hard......I just could not hardly say anything else. Abby drove the rest of the way home without incident and we arrived safe and sound. Over all, she did very well. But, I sure was glad that we were home and that our interstate driving lesson with on ramps and exit ramps was over!!
After our eventful day, I had to remind myself that Abby did not have a drivers permit.......she had a LEARNERS permit. Thus, she was learning. She had permission to learn.....and learn she would.
Last night as I was laying in bed, I was thinking about our big adventure for the day and I prayed and thanked God for keeping us safe and sound. But, I believe he reminded me of a few things.....I wonder if perhaps I got a taste of how our Heavenly Father feels as his children embark on their Christian journey. Like Abby passing the written test, she felt like she knew all the rules. We as Christians think that tooo.....we think we can keep our life under control, know when to stop, go, slow down, and speed up. Then we see a yellow light and we wonder......does that mean to slow down, or speed up and go through quickly without giving thought to merging.
I have been caught in the intersection of life more times than I care to admit. I've had times when I couldn't decide whether to go forward or stop or back up. As a result, I found myself idling in the middle of my journey, holding up traffic. I think on some of those days, God is saying to me,"Back up. That's right, back up and wait until I give you a green light." I've decided that when it comes to driving down the road of life, I only have my learner's permit. He has never given me permission to take hold of the wheel and apply my foot to the accelerator without Him in the car.
SOOO......to my sweet Abigail Rae. You really did do a good job on the interstate.....and I am proud of you for keeping your cool when I in my opera voice yelled at you about not merging correctly. You have the right to learn....that's what a learners permit is all about and momma's going to work harder at not being soo nervous!
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