October 27, 2005

Convoy

"Hey there good buddy, this is Rubber Duck. Do you copy?"

With that opening, country singer C.W. McCall took off across country with "a thousand screaming trucks, and some friends of Jesus in a chartreuse microbus." As a kid who was listening to "CB" chatter in my own VW Microbus, McCall's song, "Convoy" quickly became my anthem of freedom. Even the "bears" got out of the way when his convoy of 18-wheelers came roaring through!

Last night, trundling down I-4 toward home, I found myself in a convoy once again. Scores of "screaming trucks." Emergency lights flashing. Men, women, and kids, waving from the cabs. Fellow travelers honking with appreciation as the convoy roared south toward Miami.

The "essential electronics" in my car no longer include a CB radio, and I'm not sure I even remember what "10-20" stands for. But my heart beat faster and my eyes misted up anyway. The trucks on the freeway beside me were from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas, Louisiana, and the northern reaches of Florida. Their sides were emblazoned with the logos of tree surgeons, power companies, and electrical suppliers. They were "off to work," a convoy of caregivers eager to turn on the lights wherever Wilma had blown them out.

I think Jesus was driving one of the trucks.

"Love one another," Jesus said, "as I have loved you."
John 13:34

Dick Duerksen
Assistant Vice President
Mission development
Florida Hospital