Alex’s epic getting-stuck-in-the-mud adventure

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March 29, 2019 - That is the anniversary of my son, Alex’s, epic getting-stuck-in-the-mud adventure.  It’s an awesome story, worth telling, if only for my own memory.  But I think there could be a lesson in it for all of us...

First, let me set this story up.  Alex was 17 and he loved old vehicles.  There is a highway near our house that leads past a lot of farmland.  You can turn up gravel roads that turn into B-level Maintenance roads pretty fast. 

​Some farms have old cars laying around, and Alex liked to drive around looking for one that might have a “for sale” sign in the window.  When he was ready to go home he would just put our address in the GPS of his phone and the map would always bring him home.  

The final important detail for this story is that Alex drove an older Ford Focus (low clearance) with a manual transmission, and the spring of 2019 had been wet.

*****The story*****

I was sitting in my office at work when my phone rang, it was Alex. 

“Mom, I’m stuck.”  I rolled my eyes because it wasn’t the first time this had happened.  The map feature on our iphones was a fun feature to have that day.  He didn’t know that I had his location shared, and I wasn’t ready to tell him,  so I asked “Where are you?”  His reply made me laugh out loud.
 
“I don’t know.”
 
I gave him my best advice on getting un-stuck and suggested that he call his Uncle Jay if those things didn’t work.  “Good Luck!”
 
I work in a small family car dealership with my two brothers.  Jay is a car geek and he is also the one who is most likely to end up in these types of situations.  I ran to his office before Alex could call and tried to prepare him for it, holding back my laughter as much as I could.  Teenage boys are fun to play with.
 
His phone rang and I saw Alex’s name on the screen.
 
He greeted his uncle and informed him of his predicament.  Alex was concerned about his clutch and didn’t want to break it.  I have to give him credit for that.  He was at least aware of his car at this point.
 
Uncle Jay: “Where are you buddy?”
Alex: “I don’t know”. 
“You don’t know?”

“Ummm.  no.”

Jay was holding back the laughter.  He asked Alex a few general directional questions, like which way he had driven out of town and  Uncle Jay didn’t miss a beat -  “I know that area pretty well, take a picture in every direction, l’ll find you”

These are the pictures Alex sent. 

​Of course, Jay was actually looking at his location on my phone’s GPS.  He called him back.

“I know right where you are, buddy , I’m on my way.”

*****Story Pause*****

When the pandemic started, I composed this, but there have been several times in my life that I have felt this way.  Have you?

How did I get here?  Where am I?

Sometimes I feel like my prayers are a lot like Alex’s pictures. 

No details but I know I’m in trouble - “I’m not sure what is going on, or how I got here, but please help”.  I promise you, God knows what to do. ​

*****Unpause Story*****

​Uncle Jay grabbed a friend on the way out of town.  He and Mike found Alex on a B Level maintenance road with mud packed in his wheel wells so tight he could barely turn the wheel.  They made Alex hook up the tow straps - after all, the grown men knew better than to get muddy themselves.  

They all had a great laugh.  Uncle Jay was a hero and Alex was grateful.  He even offered to wash his uncle’s truck, since he got it pretty muddy.  (Uncle Jay told him the laugh was worth it and gave him grace, this time)

*****The rest of the story*****

​Alex made it home, covered in mud, and started getting ready for work.  He changed out of his dirty clothes quickly and forgot his wallet in the dirty clothes.
  
When he got out to his car, he had a flat tire that had to be changed.  

Alex worked at McDonalds and was closing that night. On the way home, at 1AM he ran out of gas. 

No wallet meant no money.  Who did he call?  His big sister, of course.  

She was 19 at the time and he assumed correctly that she was less likely to get mad at him for waking her up than if he called mom or dad.  As he had hoped, she left quietly and took care of her brother.  It was a great story when they told us the next day.  

I call that “Alex’s epic getting stuck-in-the-mud adventure.” 

​My favorite part is that he was the kind of kid who kept a smile on his face throughout the whole thing.  Never angry. Just lost - even in the challenges at the end.

*****End of Story*****

​As I think about how amused we were that day by this whole scenario, I realize that what I’m going through now is going to be ok as well.  I don’t have to know it all.  
 
Like I said earlier, I wrote this at the start of the pandemic.  I want to encourage you today that God’s got this virus situation (and all of our other situations, too), even if this is what it looks like in every direction for us. 

​God already knows the details, and He’s ready to be there for us.  Standing by in the middle of the night sort of like Alex's big sister.

One final thought:  Alex died in a mowing accident 4 months later. 

Grief has given me a new perspective on the world around me.  The world is panicking because we've been told someone is going to die and we don’t know who - but we want to protect those we love. 

​While I agree, I also understand too well that death is part of eternity.  You don’t really get to know if the people you love are going to be here tomorrow.   

Remember to love them today. 

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