Some things in our life we choose to save because they're more than just a possession. They are monuments. Reminders of our testimony. This truck is such a thing for me. I learned to be habitually thankful, how to work for myself, and how to be a husband and father during the time spent working in this truck. It also became sort of a personal mascot. Friends at church would say, "I passed you this week out on the road." I would respond that I didn't remember being in the area they were describing and would ask if they were sure it was me? They would always laugh and say, "Yeah, I'm sure." People often stopped next to me in traffic and would stay far back enough that they could sneak a picture. While everyone laughed as I drove by, I had pure joy and was full of gratitude for my full load. I honestly couldn't figure out why people wouldn't want to be in my shoes. I loved it.
My favorite story in this truck is when I was pulled over by an Elkhart city police woman. I had a tall load much like what's pictured below and was a little surprised that this had not happened before now. When she came to tell me why she had pulled me over, she said that there had been a bank robbery several blocks away and that the vehicle I was driving fit the description for the getaway vehicle seen fleeing the scene. I laughed and told her to arrest me. There's not another vehicle that looks like this one. While she laughed, another officer that had witnessed me gathering metal somewhere else thankfully verified I was not the bank robber and they let me go. I still think it's hilarious.
