Got Caught Speeding Again...

Read This Slowly...

Allen took a long look at his speedometer before slowing down: 73 in a 55 zone. Fourth time in as many months. How could a guy get caught so often?

When his car had slowed to 10 miles an hour, Allen pulled over, but only partially. Let the cop worry about the potential traffic hazard. Maybe some other car will tweak his backside with a mirror. The cop was stepping out of his car, the big pad in hand.

Jim? Jim from Church? Allen sunk farther into his trench coat. This was worse than the coming ticket. A cop catching a guy from his own church. A guy who happened to be a little eager to get home after a long day at theoffice. A guy he was about to play golf with tomorrow.

Jumping out of the car, he approached a man he saw every Sunday, a man he'd never seen in uniform.

"Hi, Jim. Fancy meeting you like this."

"Hello, Allen." No smile.

"Guess you caught me red-handed in a rush to see my wife and kids."

"Yeah, I guess." Jim seemed uncertain. Good.

"I've seen some long days at the office lately. I'm afraid I bent the rules a bit -just this once."

Allen toed at a pebble on the pavement. "Eva said something about roast beef and potatoes tonight. Know what I mean?"

"I know what you mean. I also know that you have a reputation in our precinct ." Ouch. This was not going in the right direction. Time to change tactics.

"What'd you clock me at?"

"Seventy. Would you sit back in your car please?"

"Now wait a minute here, Jim. I checked as soon as I saw you. I was barely nudging 65." The lies seemed to come easier with every ticket.

"Please, Allen, in the car"

Flustered, Allen hunched himself through the still-open door. Slamming it shut, he stared at the dashboard. He was in no rush to open the window. The minutes ticked by. Jim scribbled away on the pad.

Why hadn't he asked for a driver's license?

Whatever the reason, it would be a month of Sundays before Allen ever sat near this cop again. A tap on the door jerked his head to the left. There was Jim, a folded paper in hand Allen rolled down the window a mere two inches, just enough room for Jim to pass him the slip.

"Thanks." Allen could not quite keep the sneer out of his voice.
Jim returned to his police car without a word. Allen watched his retreat in the mirror. Allen unfolded the sheet of paper. How much was this one going to cost?

Wait a minute. What was this? Some kind of joke?Certainly not a ticket. Allen began to read:

"Dear Allen, Once upon a time I had a daughter. She was six when killed by a car. You guessed it- a speeding driver. A fine and three months in jail, and the man was free. Free to hug his daughters, all three of them. I only had one, and I'm going to have to wait until Heaven before I can ever hug her again. A thousand times I've tried to forgive that man. A thousand times I thought I had. Maybe I did, but I need to do it again. Even now. Pray for me. And be careful, Allen, my son is all I have left.

Jim"

Allen turned around in time to see Jim's car pull away and head down the road. Allen watched until it disappeared. A full 15 minutes later, he too, pulled away and drove slowly home, praying for forgiveness and hugging a surprised wife and kids when he arrived.

Life is precious. Handle with care. This is an important message; please pass it along to your friends. Drive safely and carefully. Remember, cars are not the only things recalled by their maker.

Funny how you can send a thousand jokes through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the sanctity of life, people think twice about sharing.

Funny how when you go to forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it to them.

Pass this on, you may save a life. Maybe not, but we'll never know if we don't try.

I found this piece over on my friend Jeff's blog and thought I would put it here for my other friends to see. It seems very timely to think about with Labor Day weekend coming up and school starting again. The streets will be full of children. In one instant of poor decisions, lives are changed forever. Just think about it...think about it.