I feel the wanderlust and the call of the open highway . Which is good , because I drive cars for a living . But I 'm a writer , and someday hope to once again make my living using my writing skills . I had just driven a BMW to Houston and was set to deliver to a Dr . Martin . I called him and he said he would need me to deliver it to him at the hospital rather than his home , and I agreed completely . He also wanted it on Christmas Eve , and I was happy to make that work for him . And he told me he worked in the cancer ward , and that is when my heart sunk . Just having learned a few weeks ago about my friend Smokey 's upcoming demise from cancer , I guess I am still real sensitive about it . Not dealing well with a close friend who is terminal , and not good for a Christmas I was going to spend alone . I got to the hospital and went to the fifth floor where Dr . Martin said to meet him . I asked for him at the Nurse 's desk , and they said he was busy and just to please wait . I stood against a wall just outside a room and tried to stay out of the way . And then I heard a small voice call out to me . I looked into the doorway of the room I was standing near . I saw a little bald girl sitting in bed with a laptop opened on her tray table . " Did you need something ? " I asked her . " Thank you very much . " She smiled at me with what must be the brightest smile I have ever seen . " My name is Heather , what 's yours ? " " Yep , cancer . " I was very surprised that she had such an easy , flippant way of talking about it . " That 's what I 've got , in case you couldn 't tell . " " Years now . I 'm ten , and have had it almost as long as I 've been alive . They thought I was going to die , and then I had a miraculous recovery and went into remission . But now it 's come back again , so I 'm ready to fight again . " " You better believe it . Faith is my strongest ally , plus I have God on my side . The only downside is that I used to get really bored sitting in the hospital . TV can entertain you only so long . " " I use the internet to write a whole lot of other kids with cancer . I 've started my own network , and its growing every day . I send messages of hope , humor and love to them all . I tell them jokes , I offer support , and I relate to their pain and their situation . And they all really appreciate it . " " Yep , I have literally hundreds of friends now all over the USA . And I 'm branching out to other countries now . And you know what ? It feels really good . " I felt some shame for feeling badly when this poor girl had it much worse off than me . Yet she was upbeat and charming . " It 's not important . " " Get over yourself . I 'm sorry to say , but you are just feeling sad for yourself . Your friend needs your love and support right now , just like the joy I try to spread . If you give me his info I will add him to my cancer pen pal list . But what he really needs is a brother like you . " " Oh no , don 't do that . Go to church , go praise God . Or go find a soup kitchen and roll up your sleeves and help out those less fortunate . " " Great , then you know how its done . Believe me , when you do good things for others , you will forget all about your own problems . And you may find that your own problems aren 't as huge as you thought they were . " She gave me her contact info and made me promise to stay in touch . I was driving through North Carolina when I got the news . My friend Smokey was sick and dying . I could not believe my ears when he told me on the phone , and I had no idea what to say . This guy who had been like an older brother to me got a serious case of cancer and they found it too late . As I was dealing with my many mixed emotions , I was also trying to pick up a car from a man who was being very uncooperative . He had just been fired and was not ready to surrender his car just yet . But I had been told to pick it up from him the night before , and waited for two hours to meet him . Then he called to say to meet him at a house first thing the next morning . So here I was , sitting in the driveway of the house , texting and calling the man but getting no answer . I had knocked on the door , but he wasn 't there . " I don 't want to hear ' NO BECAUSE ' you stupid moron . I want to hear that the job is done . And a Sir wouldn 't hurt to throw in there . " " The guy is playing games with me , I will call you when I have the car . " I hung up , and my phone rang again almost immediately . " What is it , Riff ? " He began to laugh . " Well how about that . I gave you my old address . Why , I haven 't lived in that house for five years . " " I 'm at 1007 McManus Circle . Can you get over here quick , I 'm tired of waiting . " He hung up , and I looked up the address . It was on the far side of Winston - Salem , and I was getting frustrated . " Hey buddy boy , its Christmas Carol time . " It was Riff again , and he sounded drunk . " Jingle balls , jingle balls , jingle in my butt ! " " Don 't you tell me what to do , you little precocious jack ass brat mofo . . . " It sounded like he dropped the phone , so I clicked off . I pulled into the driveway of the house on McManus , and I saw the man run out the back door and jump into the car . He started it and began to maneuver in the circular driveway to get out . I deftly pulled over in a position to block him indefinitely , and he jumped out of the car as mad as a hornet . " Just leave that to me . Sign here please . " I indicated the spot for him to sign , and he responded by shooting me the bird . He held the keys out to me then dropped them on the ground for me to pick up . I drove the car I had come in down the block and parked it on the street . Then I drove Henry 's old car a few blocks away , to a supermarket parking lot . I walked back , got in the original car , and delivered it ten miles away . I took an Uber back to the supermarket and got into Henry 's car . It was going up to Vermont , and I was afraid I might run into some snow . Sadly ironic how Henry had chosen to wish me cancer when I just learned my friend Smokey is dying from it . What a cold , harsh reaction from the man when I was just doing my job . But I don 't want to be sad , I insist on good cheer . Elvis sang about a Blue Christmas . And blue is my favorite color . And bright blue is my favorite shade of blue . So I 'm going to remain upbeat and happy and have a Bright Blue Christmas . Donald Trump was recently voted our President , and being so close to the Mexican border I couldn 't help thinking about that big wall he promised to put up . And all the other crazy promises he made , though I hope he is able to come through on some of them . A lot of people were extremely unhappy about Trump 's election . As for me , I choose to think of the things I have to give thanks for . It is that time of the year . I am thankful for all of my friends all across the USA . I am grateful to live in the USA , it is a privilege to live in a democratic nation where we have the right to vote for whoever we want . I 'm thankful to all the folks I meet out on the road , nutty and otherwise , who keep things interesting and lively for me . And most of all I thank God for watching over me daily and keeping me safe as I travel . As I walked down the streets searching for a restaurant that was open for Thanksgiving dinner . I saw some clowns running down the block and into an alley . It made me think about my experience with Bobo the bitter clown who I 'd met nearly a year ago at a Waffle House . These clowns looked a lot more energetic than Bobo . Nearing the alley , I heard shouting . I looked down the alley and saw the two clowns shoving an elderly couple and shouting threats . This did not sit well with me , and I marched down the alley to see what was going on . One of the clowns spun on me . I pulled a gun out of my jacket . " Too bad you 're too stupid to know that Trump is all for guns . And I 'm going to empty this gun into you guys with pleasure if you don 't get out of here right now . " I aimed it at them as if I 'd done this a hundred times before and they made tracks fast . Last week I was supposed to deliver a car to a woman in Jupiter , Florida on the east coast . Then I 'd ride the Amtrak to Orlando where my next car waited to be picked up . As I was driving down the Florida Turnpike , I got a call from the lady . St . Pete is on the west coast , a few hundred miles from her home in Jupiter . I reluctantly agreed , then started calling for bus , train , and rental car schedules to get me to Orlando . I ran into a lot of problems , because so many people had fled Hurricane Matthew , and now those who rushed to the west coast for safe haven wanted to get back to the east coast . So travel options were difficult . Louise had asked me to meet her at a Panera Bread location where she was set to have a business meeting . I arrived and let her look over the car , and then she signed the paperwork . " Where do you go from here ? " " Exactly , that 's why I asked you to come here . I came on the train to stay with my parents until the storm passed us by . But then I couldn 't find any way to get home . " I grabbed my bag and went inside . Ordered an Asiago cheese bagel and hot green tea . Opened up my laptop in a comfy booth and started looking for options . As I began to find some possibilities , I overheard the family in the booth behind me . They sounded a bit desperate , running out of ideas as to how to get home to Cocoa Beach . After hearing them sound so worried about the condition of their home and being so anxious to get back to it , I popped my head over the back of my booth to face them . Her husband stood up and extended his hand . " I 'm Caleb , and this is my wife Stephanie . And these are the kids . " There were three kids , and they all looked bored and eager to go . I shook with him . " The pleasure is mine , Caleb . Let me see what I can do for you . " I got to work on finding them a way back to Cocoa Beach , and Caleb came and sat next to me in my booth . Twenty minutes later , I had them booked in a rental van for a one way trip . It was pretty expensive for a car rental , but they didn 't seem to mind at all . They were just glad for a way back . As Caleb and his family were getting up to leave , two women came up and introduced themselves . " I 'm Sandy , and she is Claire . We saw that you were helping those people and wondered if you could help us , too . " And so I did . This started the ball rolling , and before I knew it there was a small line of people waiting to be next for my travel services . Anyone could look up travel sources , but I have developed a knack over time of finding unexpected ways of getting around by searching with unorthodox methods . And it really felt good to help these people out . Every single one of them was so nice and so grateful . After I helped the last family , I went back to looking for myself . Greyhound , Megabus and Amtrak were all booked solid to Orlando . But I did find a rental SUV at four times the usual rate , which would cost about as much as I had just earned on the car I delivered . As I was trying to decide what to do , Louise stepped up to me . " You still here ? " she asked . " Fantastic , I think this is going to move me forward in the company . At least I made a good impression . Seems like you made an impression too , I kept hearing people talk about this guy who was booking travel for people on his laptop . And I looked over and saw it was you . " I wasn 't actually going home , just to my next pick up , but I decided to shut up and accept her generosity . While it took three hours longer than usual to drive the 100 miles from St . Petersburg to Orlando , I had a great conversation with Louise and found her to be funny and quite smart . And I couldn 't help having that feeling again that when times are rough , there 's an angel on my shoulder . I looked out the window and thought a lot about driving , about cars , about life . Get it together , Bill Thomas ! , I mentally scolded myself . Suddenly I had an urgent need to go to the bathroom and got up and started down the stairs to the bottom level of the train . As I came out of the staircase , a stranger grabbed me by the arm . " Hey ! " he shouted . He stood in my path . " Well how do you think I feel ? I 'll be puking and crapping all over the place if I sit facing forward but the train is going back in the backwards direction . " He walked a circle around me , sizing me up . " So you 're one of those guys , huh ? Only in it for yourself , and the rest of us can just go to hell . I don 't know why I even bothered to share my health issue with you . " I stopped at a local diner in Tennessee , because I 'd always rather have homestyle dinners cooked than fast food assembly line pasteurized processed food product . As I sat quietly and waited for my food , I heard the man in the booth across from me as he read to his son . The young boy was looking with fascination at the pictures in the book . The father said , " Now what does the duck say ? " " Yes , that 's it . " The father looked up and saw I was looking their way . I quickly averted my gaze , I certainly didn 't want to get sucked into this conversation , even though I so often do on the road . Weird people are drawn to me . " Hey , you got kids ? " " No he does not ! " A very large woman in the booth behind the man and boy turned around . " I can 't keep quiet no longer . I can 't stand hearing you mislead this boy . " The father got very determined . " Here in Tennessee , we welcome a lively debate . So I would like to hear your thoughts on child rearing and home schooling . " " Excuse me , I have to run to the restroom . " I got up and hurried off , as the father yelled , " Don 't be too long , we have a lot to discuss . Hope everything comes out OK . " I was driving a car to Orlando on Sunday when I heard the news that chilled me to the bone . 20 killed in Orlando at a nightclub shooting . And as I listened to more reports come in , the death toll shot up to 50 and 52 more were wounded . What in the world could have caused such a horrible thing to occur ? When I arrived in Orlando , there was a somber tone everywhere I went . It seemed as if every conversation I heard in public was all about the shooting . I felt somehow connected to the community and was feeling their pain . But I also saw long lines of people waiting to give their blood , and others coming to provide water , snacks and Gatorade to those in the hot sun . I was deeply moved and very impressed by the sense of humanity , of helping others . " It wasn 't a shooting , it was a massacre ! 50 people were killed , and one of them was a good friend of my cousin . Why ? Tell me why ? " " No , but I wish I could . I want to tell him I was wrong . I want him to know that I love him , that I accept him no matter what . I want him to know that God made him special , and he is my son , and I will love him always no matter what . " Manuel began to cry a little , trying very hard to hold back the tears . " I can 't do that . He died one year ago , a hate crime took his life . This massacre has brought that back home to me , and I hope that today every gay man and woman knows that their parents love them very much and accept them . Do you understand what I 'm saying ? " " Why did this maniac 's Muslim beliefs lead him to violence ? Why did he want to kill gay men ? Why did he want to kill Latinos ? Can you please explain that to me ? " " Who can , though ? I need an explanation . " He turned and looked directly at me in the backseat , and I could see his eyes were wet and very red . My heart went out to this man , but I wasn 't sure exactly what to say . " I wish I knew . But I have a plan , I try to do something nice for someone every single day . Even if it 's a total stranger , just one act of random kindness . I believe if every person in the world could do this , inch by inch this could become a better place . " He waved away my offer of cash . " Thank you , but I would rather you save your money and give me another kind of tip . Can you please pray for all of the people who were shot and killed , and for all their families ? " I patted him on the shoulder . " I already have been , and will continue to . " I climbed out of the car , but the memory of his words stay with me . Too much hate in the world . Hatred towards others because of their ethnicity or sexual identity . That 's all plenty bad enough , but senseless killing and bloodshed ? Why ? I am praying for a better world where we can love each other and support each person 's right to live their life the way they choose . I love gays , blacks , hispanics , Asians , the entire rainbow of diversity . Because God made us all and I believe He wants us all to love and take care of each other . It wasn 't long at all before the rain started coming down hard , and an El Camino pulled up and I saw Barb inside . She was a very plump senior citizen with flaming red hair . She rolled the window down a crack as I tried to open the door and found it to be locked . " Bill ? " she asked . She unlocked the door . " Well climb on in , what are you waiting for , its raining ? I want you to know that I 'm glad to do this for you , so glad , so extremely glad , it 's nothing but a pleasure for me . " I couldn 't believe she said all that in one breath . She hit the gas hard , and I fastened my seatbelt quickly . " I see you 're a seatbelt man , I admire a seatbelt man , I admire any man , well any man who drives cars all over the USA , and if he wears a seatbelt I admire him even more , if you know what I mean . " So I could see that rapid fire talk without taking a breath was her natural speech pattern . " Of course I know where we 're going , well not really , but I do have the address , its on the whole ' nuther side of Salt Lake , a place I don 't go too often , in fact never in my life , but we are going there today , now aren 't we ? " Barb stopped talking abruptly , just as her eyes shut and her head plopped forward , chin on chest . Loud snoring sounds came from her , and I was scared to death . All I could think to do was poke her in the ribs . Barb came quickly to life and screamed bloody murder , slamming on the brakes of the car with great force . I was thrown forward , thank goodness for the seatbelt ! " Are you OK , I 'm OK , but the question is are you OK , because if anything happened to you I 'd die , I swear I 'd just die , it would kill me if I scared a passenger , especially one I admire like you . " She stomped on the gas again . gave her a good poke again , and she screamed at the top of her lungs while slamming on the brakes . The car behind us nearly rear ended Barb . " Oh no , did I nod off again , please tell me I didn 't , I would be so humiliated , oh please tell me I didn 't fall asleep . " She put her foot down on the gas and proceeded . Barb howled with laughter . " That 's rich , oh that 's a good one , more rest , like I could get more rest in my house , with my husband Charlie 's schedule and my grandkids running in and out , and all the baking I do , I spend half the life in the kitchen , and I 'm a darn good cook if you don 't mind me saying so , but why would you , I 'm only stating the hard cold facts . " She paused uncharacteristically and looked me over . " So are you a married man ? I don 't see a ring on your - - " She passed out again , just as we were getting onto the interstate highway . I felt a genuine sense of panic . " Barb ! Barb ! Please wake up ! " She began to swerve across lanes in front of fast moving cars , so I had no choice but to grab the wheel and try to steer us through it . I poked her again , and she came to life screaming and fighting me for the wheel . Anticipating her slamming on the brakes , I had steered us onto the shoulder lane . " Oh no , not again . This is beginning to get embarrassing , if you know what I mean , but I 'm sure you do . You were just telling me about your wife . " Barb accelerated and steered back onto the highway . " You 're not married ? Oh listen to me , prying into your business and going places I have no business going , just being a nosey Rosey , but that 's just me , I can 't help it . Do you have a girlfriend , or maybe are you a Gay , which is fine with me , though it 's none of my business if you don 't want to tell me , because the Bible says its a sin to lay with another man , but I don 't judge . What do you - - " Off she went again , just like flipping a light switch . Instead of getting upset , this time I chose to firmly take the wheel and try to navigate through traffic while Barb slept . I was doing pretty good , but soon realized she controlled the pedals even as she snoozed , so I got off at an exit ramp and poked her . She sat upright and screamed loudly , hitting the brakes . I arrived in Spokane , Washington yesterday to pick up a car going to Alaska . I was very excited , because I had never before been there . My company rarely ever has cars to deliver to Alaska . My old high school buddy Steve and I have talked about going there together for years , the ultimate road trip . And yet it has never happened . I have been to all of the " lower 48 " states many times in my travels . More often than you might think , people ask me if I have ever taken a car to Alaska or Hawaii . It seems to me that the only way to drive a car to Hawaii is if it can skip across the ocean the way Herbie the Love Bug skipped across a lake like a rock bouncing and skimming on the surface of the water . " Well good , my little precious . " His voice was thick with sarcasm . " Now its gonna be very cold in Alaska . Did you pack your long johns and your footie pajamas ? " " I think you 've been getting a little too big for your britches lately , and I - - " Riff kept on talking but I stopped listening , because a car came flying into the parking lot I was standing in and starting doing donuts at a dangerous speed . I hung up the phone and hurried towards a brick wall where I could stand safely . Unless of course this wild driver decided to smash into said wall . The car came right towards me and stopped just short of slamming into me and the wall . Then Andy jumped out , and I felt both relief and regret to see him . He 's another driver for my company , and every interaction I 'd had with him has been somewhere between bad and worse . I once saved his life by pulling him out of a car after he flipped it . " Wrong , it 's my car . Riff assigned it to me , and I 'm headed out to Alaska . So I guess we can agree that you are screwed royally . " " Let me help you figure it out . Riff told you to come get the car so he could teach you a lesson about respect and humility . And he sent me to get the car so it could be driven up to Juno by a professional driver . Also , it gives me the opportunity to rub your nose in your failure . " " You got it . I could be partying my ass off in Hell right now if it weren 't for you . Bye bye , loser . " Andy burned rubber as he sped out of the parking lot onto the street , nearly hitting two cars and causing them to swerve out of his way . I was going to call Riff , but thought that would only upset me more . So I called my friend Steve in Kentucky . He answered on the first ring . " Hey Bill , so good to hear from you . " For as many years as I 've been out driving on the road , it 's almost amazing that I never ate at a Waffle House . Guess I have gotten into the habit of using drive thru because I can roll through then keep right on going and eat as I drive . But last week as I passed through Mississippi , I decided to pull over and have an early breakfast there . It wasn 't too crowded when I walked inside . I sat at the counter , and was looking at the menu when a clown in full costume came and sat down next to me . " Hungry ? " he asked me . " Really ? That 's very odd . By the way , I 'm Bobo the clown . " I noticed that he seemed somewhat morose , not at all cheerful and clown - like . " Ever had breakfast for dinner ? Now that is a truly kinky experience . " " Don 't worry , it 's not a cigarette . That 's what they don 't want you to smoke in a restaurant is cigarettes , not weed . " He inhaled deeply . " Now do you like yours smothered , covered or chunky ? " I had just been looking at the hashbrowns on the menu , and noticed the variations that Bobo had mentioned . " I was just trying to decide . I 've never seen so many different ways to fix hashbrowns . " " No I am not OK . " He took a long puff off his joint . " Not OK at all . I know what you 're thinking , the life of a clown , all fun and games , happy go lucky . Bullshit ! Haven 't you ever heard about the tears of a clown ? When no ones around ? " I wasn 't sure what to say to this . No doubt about it , this had to be the saddest clown I had ever encountered . " Anything I can do to help ? " He got very irate and pointed a finger at me . " Oh , now you want to help me . Now you decide its time to reach out to poor Bobo . " " I know what you just wanted , and it 's too little too late . Where 's your compassion , where 's your heart ? Is all you can think about stuffing your face with waffles ? Which , by the way , are very delicious here . " Bobo began to sob and ran off , heading straight into the Ladies restroom . A waitress came over and took my order . I wondered what in the world was wrong with Bobo the clown , and if he had gone into the wrong restroom by accident . By the time my breakfast arrived , I had observed that Bobo was causing quite a stir . One woman needed to go to the restroom but couldn 't , and then the Waffle House manager noticed smoke coming out from under the door . The police showed up soon after , and they only gave knocking a try once before they forced the door open . As they dragged a sobbing Bobo out , I noticed he was sucking on a straight glass pipe which I believe is used for crack . The clown began to kick and scream , but the cops had no problem forcing him into submission . In a bizarre way , I felt like I was getting dinner and a show . Well , breakfast and a show . As you are driving down the highway , stop in and check out a Waffle House . They are abundant and seem to be everywhere you go , and they make fantastic waffles and hashbrowns . But if you see a clown headed your way , you might want to take a detour . Today I was at the Greyhound station in Richmond , Virginia . As I 've mentioned many times , I dislike riding Greyhound intensely due to many bad experiences in the past . But I had dropped a car in Richmond , and the bus was the quickest , cheapest , most convenient way to get to Washington , D . C . I figured I could tolerate a two hour ride . As I sat in the station , I saw the usual suspects , all manner of odd folks who looked right at home in the bus station . There was one woman who talked extremely loudly on the phone , broadcasting her personal life to everyone there . And there was one gentleman having a very animated conversation with the wall . Most of the passengers seem to use Hefty trash bags as luggage . Very chic . And the majority of them do not know the meaning of the word soap . I have no idea why this is , but I can say unequivocally that it 's true . I tried hard to read the latest JACK REACHER novel , because I find them endlessly fascinating . Yet I kept on getting interrupted by people coming up to me and asking for money . Some wanted cash to get a soda , some needed their potato chip fix . There are times that I feel generous , but this was not one of those days . I had not been paid in full for the last three car deliveries , and was trying hard to conserve funds . Which is exactly why I was riding Greyhound . Some state troopers came into the station . I was worried that there might be trouble , so after a few minutes I walked over and asked them what was up . They said they were there for a training exercise and there was nothing to worry about . I went back and sat down , then watched a man enter the station and walk up to the officers to engage in conversation . Then he pulled out a gun and the shooting began , and I hit the floor and prayed . Several people including a cop were shot and badly wounded , and the man who started it all was killed . After delivering a car in Charlotte NC , I went to the the train station to catch Amtrak to Miami . It would be a 24 hour ride , and I 'd much rather fly , but the plane fares were prohibitively expensive so the choo - choo express was my only option . Other than Greyhound , which would take twice as long as the train for the same amount of money . And I don 't do Greyhound anymore . When I got my train ticket at the counter , I was told that we 'd be heading north to Raleigh on one train , then get off and get on another train headed south . After the announcement was made to board , I went out to the platform and climbed onto the train . I chose an aisle seat , and then pulled down the tray table in front of the empty window seat so I could quickly arrange my things before we got rolling . He suddenly jutted his head towards me rapidly , so that our noses were almost touching . He seethed as he spoke to me menacingly . " Tell you what , you will move your things immediately this very moment or the police will be waiting for you at the next station to drag your sorry ass off of this train . " " Because I don 't like thieves . You are committing a crime , it 's called loss of revenue . You are taking two seats and therefore preventing Amtrak from selling that other seat . Are we clear ? " I nodded sheepishly . He seemed a lot angrier than was necessary , as if I was a repeat offender troublemaker . I quickly moved all of my things off of the tray table . I made a few phone calls , and then got my writing tablet and began working on my new book . After a while , the conductor came by again and said to me , " Don 't think you are out of hot water yet . I 've got my eye on you . " He really left a bad taste in my mouth , I had never received such treatment on Amtrak . When we got to Raleigh , I noted that there were already a lot of people waiting at the train station . They were getting on my second train , only Raleigh was their point of origin . I saw two men on opposite sides of the station both with seeing eye dogs . I assumed they were blind , as they each had a white cane in addition to the dogs . I sat next to one of the blind men , and he introduced himself as Tim . The dog was a beautiful black lab called Dudley , and he reminded me so much of Paulie , the dog I rescued in Texas when I first met my friends Tom and Jenny . Tim told me that he had never traveled by train , and he was a bit nervous about it . I offered to help him out in any way that I could . When the station manager called for all passengers to go out to the loading platform across the street , Tim did not budge . He said he had been told to stay put and someone would come and get him . " Would you mind very much staying with me ? " " No not at all , it would be my pleasure . " We talked and he told me what it was like to be blind , and how he could sense things about people that sighted people often miss . And he said that he loved to read . " You read ? How do . . . " " Audio books . The U . S . Library of Congress has a great program , and send me books to read . Well , technically to listen to . " He seemed amused . " You telling me there are two blind men and two dogs ? Climb on board sir , we have everything under control . Please get a seat , we will be pulling out in less than one minute . " I got on and found a seat in the front row right next to the exit door and restroom . We sat still for a few minutes , and then I saw the station manager bringing Tim and Dudley on board . They sat right across the aisle from me . " Where is my friend Bill ? " asked Tim . " Dudley and I owe you a debt of thanks . I heard that the train almost left me , but you insisted that they check on me . I am deeply grateful . " Last week I delivered a car to a man in South Carolina . He called me every half hour on my trip there , asking how far I had gotten , what mile marker I was passing , etc . He had a whole lot of questions , and frankly I felt relieved when I pulled into his driveway to drop off the car so the endless phone calls could end . I walked up to the front door , and could hear shouting clearly coming from inside the house . As I reached up to knock on the door , it quickly flew open . " Mr . Davidson ? " I asked . This angered the wife further . " Oh you have no opinion . You are just one of those uninformed , blissfully ignorant morons who get spoon fed by the drive by media and accept whatever you are told as fact . " She pointed a finger at her husband . " He didn 't have to . I know him and his kind . He doesn 't care who becomes our next President . " It 's January 2016 , and business had been slow for me driving and delivering cars . I had a Mercedes Benz to drive up to Philadelphia , and just as I crossed the state line from North Carolina into Virginia it broke down . I had no idea why . For someone who drives so many cars , it 's amazing how little I know about how they run . It was coughing and sputtering before it quit completely so I was able to get off at a rural exit and rolled to a stop on the shoulder just off the top of the ramp . I got out and shivered in the cold as I popped the hood and looked under it . I don 't know what I was looking for , I had no idea what was wrong or how to fix it . I only know I was very fatigued after having driven from Miami , and it was getting dark . Luckily a street light illuminated the area where I parked . I got back into the car and started thinking about all of the adventures I 've had driving , but also about how my boss Riff often screwed me over and still owed me over $ 500 in back pay . I had to stop and think . I thought I knew the answer , but it didn 't make sense . " You actually remind me of pictures of Jesus they used to show us in church when I was growing up . " " That 's how I am appearing to you because that is what you recognize . Actually when I lived here on Earth I looked nothing like this . My skin was darker , I had more of a Mediterranean look . All the movies they 've made about me , they never got me right . " " Now JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR and GODSPELL had some good music in them . Frankly , I didn 't care for Willem Dafoe 's portrayl in THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST . Scorsese is a great director , but that definitely wasn 't one of his best . Just my opinion . " He walked around to the still open hood and looked at the engine . He began pulling at wires and checking plugs , all foreign to me . " Jim Caviezel really nailed it in THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST , but that was a hard one to watch . So violent , so real , way too graphic for me . " " Absolutely you are . I watch you every single day , and love the fact that you try to spread a little happiness wherever you go . You reach out to help people , even though a lot of them take advantage of you . But you remain determined and keep right on believing that there is good in everyone . " He elbowed me lightly in the ribs . " It is the right thing . With all the ugliness and hatred in the world , if more people like you would try to spread a little kindness around it would be a much nicer place to live . " " Who else would I mean ? I can tell you that He gave you a good heart and a special talent for touching people and bringing them joy . Both of us watch you sometimes and wonder why you are still driving when you have so much to offer . " " And I died to save you . So do something with your life and your gifts . " As he slammed the hood shut he said loudly " Wake up ! " The car started suddenly and I sat upright very fast . Wow , what a dream ! It seemed so very real , and yet of course it was all in my mind . I wasn 't sure how the car got started , but I wasn 't going to complain , I was going to drive to Richmond and get a good night 's sleep . As I started to put the car in Drive , I heard a repetitive beep coming from the center console . Sounded like a former employee had left their beeper or cell phone in the car . I looked inside , and there was a cell phone . And underneath it was a Bible . I didn 't remember seeing either one of them there before . How strange . . . but how wonderful . Posted by