A scary night drive… one of the Lord’s subtle reminders

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When my dad was teaching me how to drive, he always reminded me to stop, look, and listen at railway crossings because on my way to Los Banos, I have to pass three crossings (and more, depending on the route I would take). I shouldn’t only watch out for the train, but also for ‘ghosts’ - train cars that get detached from the lot - that usually issue no warnings to travelers.

I was reminded of this one strange day this past week. I drove to IRRI and had to go through Pili Drive. But I had to stop right before the IRRI gate because a train was passing by. Strangely, the barriers that were usually down when a train passed weren’t down.

That night, as I was driving through Pansol, Calamba, I heard the first warnings of an oncoming train. The horn (or whistle, or whatever it’s called) was louder as I approached the crossing at Bucal, Calamba, but the traffic enforcer was allowing the traffic to move (therefore the train was either still far off or had already passed). But I couldn’t determine where it’s coming from. So when I was at the railroad crossing just past the Pepsi warehouse in Calamba, I stopped to check if there was a train coming (because I could still hear the horn blowing). Since it was dark (past nine?), there was no light coming from either side of the crossing, and there were no people scurrying off the rail, I assumed that the train had passed already. So I cautiously and hurriedly drove across the rails. That was a good thing, because just five seconds after I did that, the train DID come along, rumbling fast! I had just cleared the rail and had driven a few feet off when I saw it through my rearview mirror. What a scare! That’s one of the most frightening experiences that I’ve had!

I might not have been in imminent danger at that time, but to me, it felt like the Lord just saved my life for the nth time, and that reaffirmed my belief that the Lord is watching over me and covering my back (I always ask for safe trips for me and my sister). It’s one of His subtle reminders, I think.

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