We were very anxious to get to Tulsa, but our plans came to an abrupt halt when, after dark in downstate Illinois, Jamie's car sprayed a fountain of oil onto Luwanna's windshied so thick she couldn't see. Both cars pulled over into a truck stop that was nearby. Lucky for us! It soon became apparent that the oil drain plug in Jamie's car had been knocked out by some road hazard. A pool of oil quickly formed under her car. A very nice trucker got under her car to try to measure the opening. He tried out a couple parts he found in his truck but they didn't fit. So he recommended she try a truck stop back down the interstate. Jamie and Michael went off in Luwanna's van, but before they left, the trucker asked them if they had the money to buy the part and the oil that would be needed. He would surely have offered it to them if they had said no, and that just amazed me. Later on, he brought Val and Luwanna each a cold drink as they sat waiting under a rain shelter.

Well, there were no places open that night that had the needed part. So we all ended up staying at a hotel that wasn't exactly the Ritz. But the good news is, we all got a night's sleep and the part was found the next day. We went on our way, and Jamie's car was fine until we almost got to Tulsa. It needed some further repair unrelated to the oil drain plug incident. So here I want to shout out some very heartfelt thanks: Luwanna, you provided us a way to go, which was going way above and beyond the call of duty as a friend. Ray and Cindy, you provided me with money so we could spend the night at a hotel, and this I believe got us there safely and in much better shape. We needed that rest for the events that were to come. The trucker, I don't know his name, showed us kindness that I would never have believed from a stranger. I finally told him we were going to see our Mom who was extremely critical. But he acted out of kindness before he knew how desperate our situation was. Van, in Tulsa, called in some chips, and when Jamie's car needed some extensive repair, he supervised two young men in his garage, with Jamie' s car hoisted up, and they got 'r done! There were many kindnesses and many heroes during this time of sadness and stress for our family. But I did want to especially mention these folks because their kindness made such a huge difference in our lives.