Four rides, and four stories of folks fighting adversity.
I picked up Dan, a man in his late twenties or early thirties. He was excited about the job interview he had just completed moments before. His addiction challenges had taken him out of the market for a while. Although he didn’t mention it specifically, I’m sure that time had been in jail or prison.
“I know how to build houses, and I know I can outwork anyone else. The parole folks helped me get the job, and if I prove myself to the contractor, he assured me that he has more work down the line,” he said. “My only worry is that the parole board won’t let me leave this area. My new boss builds homes and offices all over the country. This is my chance to turn the corner and live right.”
I don’t know how those programs work, but I hope Dan gets the chance to prove himself on the local jobs. I hope his effort gives him some kind of break. I told him I’d pray for him as I dropped him off to his “sober” home.
A few rides later, I picked up Will at a rehab center. Will was in his seventies and had a lifetime of heartache and trauma. He spent time as a Marine in the Vietnam war. He vividly remembered the hate and ridicule from protestors upon returning from his tour in Vietnam.
“I’ve had good times and a lot of bad times,” he explained. “I was part of a group charged with notifying families of the death of their loved ones killed in action. Some of those deaths included suicide. After a while, I had to quit. I couldn’t handle those duties.”
“I’ve spent most of my life drinking. I’ve suffered with PTSD longer than I can remember. Over the years, I’ve helped lead teams throughout the world based on my expertise from my military career. Somehow, I’d burn out and get messed up on alcohol. It cost me lots of good jobs.”
Lately, he’s faced some tough times. He recently finished a four-week program in another state. He’s in Pensacola to start a follow-up program. He has high hopes and feels like he’s working with veterans who understand him. I hope so. Will has paid a high price and deserves some peace!
Days later, I picked up a woman who asked as many questions about me as anyone I’ve ever Ubered. Once I mentioned I had five kids and nine grandchildren, she launched into a story about her family. Her father had eight children from six different women. He was married to four of the six.
“I had to be the big sister to several of the kids, even though most of us were not in the same family, except through our father. I was the oldest of the second ‘group’ of kids around the same age.”
I asked, “How in the world does a family get-together happen?”
“We do the best we can. It’s like we are several families. Some of us get along better with the kids from other mothers than we do with our own. There have been a lot of arguments and battles. Lots of uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents – you can imagine. But, we’ve settled down and do our best to make family gatherings work.”
I’ve seen enough family battles in my own time. I can’t even imagine the chaos they’ve experienced.
Finally, I picked up a gentleman in the Destin area. Again, we talked about family relationships. I think he said there were four or five kids in his family.
“Our parents raised all of us as their own, but a few of us were adopted. My brother found out he was adopted when he asked his girlfriend to marry him. She assumed he knew he was adopted. Everyone in their small town knew it, except his brother,” he said.
My rider found out about his adoption from his parents when he was still a young teenager. The other siblings were substantially older and hadn’t developed a close relationship with him.
“I began to get curious about my birth parents when I had an illness. I needed to know any genetic information that could help me. I researched and found out who my parents were. My father didn’t stick around much after I was born. He died a long time ago. My mother was thrilled to meet me and I eventually met more than sixty of my relatives. I travel around the country a lot, and anytime I’m near one of them, I try to arrange a meeting.
“I’ve had so many great encounters. I’m grateful to my parents, but I’ve been grateful to meet so many of my family!”
All four of these riders have had challenging lives. I never knew I’d get to hear so many stories when I started driving. Nothing on the idiot box comes close! Please keep all of them in your prayers.
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(I hope you will stay in touch. I’ll be releasing my book soon. The text and cover are finished. Now, we’re in the formatting process. I’ll let you know as soon as I have the information. I appreciate your support!)
Thanks, and God Bless,
Tommy
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