Dragging My Tail Literally And Emotionally

On April 21, 2018, Carol and I began a two-month trip through the northeast quadrant of our country. Our first destination was northern Georgia for our annual USS Yorktown CV-5 Survivor’s Club reunion. We took two weeks to get to Young Harris, Ga., where the reunion was held. Colonel Butch Quick and his wife, Becky, did a wonderful job hosting the event, and we enjoyed the time with president Mike Leggins and the rest of the crew. (I don’t have room here to name them all.)

We traveled from there to Washington, D. C., to visit the Bible Museum, and spent Carol’s birthday anniversary touring the museum.

Visiting Gettysburg is always an emotional visit for me. Whether you lean toward the Confederate or Union side, that battle was the turning point of the war, and President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was important to the country — both North and South.

We had never been to Niagara Falls in northwest New York, so that was an amazing part of the trip. We spent two days there gazing at the grandeur of the three falls: American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and Horseshoe Falls. Horseshoe Falls is on the Canadian side, and is the largest and most stunning of the three. Yes, we took the boat ride into the mist. All my pictures during the river-ride were taken with my cell phone because my regular camera might have been damaged in the rainlike mist generated by the falls.

Leaving Niagara Falls, our next stop was a town in Ohio called Geneva-on-theLake, and our RV campsite was adjacent to Lake Erie. Having grown up on both Pacific and Atlantic coasts where we cannot see the shores of Japan or England, Lake Erie looked like an ocean to me.

We left Geneva- on- theLake and headed for Springfield, Ohio. We enjoyed the trip as we traveled through new territory for us. We take pictures everywhere we go – mountains, valleys, birds, elk, bear, old houses, cloud formations. You name it, we picture it, singing as we go. We stopped for the night at Stars RV Resort just east of Springfield.

We finally come to this week’s story.

We left Stars RV Resort and had driven about 90 miles on I-70, approaching Spiceland, Ind., when a pickup pulled alongside me, honking his horn. I looked, and the driver motioned for me to pull over.

He wasn’t a policeman, so I instinctively understood that I had a trailer problem. The pickup also pulled over just ahead of me. The driver hurried back to where I was standing, and I met a new friend.

“My name’s Mark Chamberlain. You’re dragging your tail.”

“My what?”

“Your umbilical cord. Your electrical cord that’s supposed to be plugged into your car. It’s flopping in the wind.”

I walked to the trailer-car hookup, and …

“Well, what do you know? I forgot to finish the job, and the cord is destroyed. I’m a goose!”

Mark rescued me. “No, you’re not. It’s just a simple mistake. I’ve been RVing for 11 years, and believe me, I’ve made every mistake in the book. That’s why I have everything we need — in my truck — to help you get back on the road.”

Mark got his tool box, and spent 20 minutes mending the power cord.

“There. That’ll take care of you til you get home. You’re good- to- go. Take care.”

“But Mark, I owe you for this. Tell me how much.”

“Are you kidding? I’ve been helped so much and so often, I feel it’s my duty to help others. And I’m doing this for the Lord, too, because He’s helped me more than I know. Have a good trip.”

We shook hands, hugged, and he was off.

Carol was ready for me. “If you let me check the hookup with you, you wouldn’t have been dragging your tail.”

I was emotionally dragging my tail anyway, and that hurt. But I needed it. I had been too proud to admit I needed someone to inspect my work. I asked her to forgive me, and that’s the day I added Carol’s walk- around inspection after I think we’re ready to go. And, yes, I’m glad we made that addition.

But the Lord knew about my pride, my mistake, and had one of His servants on hand to rescue me. What a wonderful Friend God is. I thank Mark Chamberlain for his friendship, and I thank God for His love, His mercy, and His forgiveness.

— S. Eugene Linzey is the author of ‘ Charter of the Christian Faith.’ Send comments and questions to masters. servant@ cox. net. Visit his website at www. genelinzey.com. The opinions expressed are those of the author.