A Friend, A Book, and A Scary Story

Today, I’m sharing a friend with you, Lisa Buffaloe.

Lisa is an author, speaker, happily married mom, and host for Living Joyfully Free Radio. Her past experiences—molestation by a baby-sitter, assault, rape by a doctor, divorce, being stalked, cancer, death of loved ones, seven surgeries, and eleven years of chronic illness from Lyme Disease—bless her with a backdrop to share about God’s unending love and that through Him we find healing, restoration, and renewal. She is the author of Prodigal Nights and a contributing author of The One Year Book of Joy and Laughter.

At the end of the post, you can read about her new book, Grace for the Char-Baked. I know you’ll enjoy Lisa’s scary adventure and surprise ending. I hope you’ll leave her a comment.

Ice, Painters, and Angels

By Lisa Buffaloe

Gray-green clouds billowed on the evening horizon. With a quick goodbye to my co-workers, I hurried to my car. Rain fell and quickly morphed into sleet. The windshield wipers flapped at full speed, and I gripped the wheel as I drove the winding back roads to my parents’ home in the country.

Slowing down for a curve, my tires lost traction. The car spun out of control, skidded sideways and crashed into a deep ditch. Rattled but unscathed, I sat praying, wondering what to do. My car was stuck.

Thirty minutes from home and without a cell phone, I had the option to walk or sit and wait. If I waited, my parents wouldn’t know I was missing for at least an hour, and they wouldn’t know which country road I had taken.

Several farm houses sat off the road but even to reach them would be a long walk. The only person within walking distance was a young man who had his checking account at the bank where I worked. I didn’t know him well. I was a teenage bank teller, and he was a flirt. 

Thinking perhaps he might be my best opportunity, I made my way up the ditch.

A beat-up, old station wagon stopped next to me and the passenger window rolled down. “Can I drive you somewhere?” The driver was an elderly man wearing stained painter’s coveralls. 

           

The freezing rain picked up in intensity. I hesitated and glanced at the abundance of paint brushes, rollers, and paint cans spread throughout his vehicle. Cold and with limited choices, I opened the door and sat in his car. “I know someone nearby. He lives in a trailer up the road. Could you take me there?”   

He looked at me, his gaze unwavering. “How well do you know him?” Somehow, I could see my dad asking the same question.  

I squirmed at his fatherly scrutiny. “Not well, he has an account at the bank where I work.”

He shook his head. “I won’t take you there. How far do you live?”

“About thirty minutes. But you don’t have to drive me that far.” 

Again his gaze locked into mine. “Do you have anyone you know well, or your parents know who lives closer?” 

I couldn’t think of anyone for a few minutes, until I remembered a family friend. “Yes sir. One of my mom’s friends lives about ten minutes away.”

He nodded and we drove in silence.

The house stood nestled off the road in a stand of trees. The man pulled down the wet pine-straw covered driveway and stopped. I thanked him and offered to pay for his trouble. Declining my offer, he waited as I ran to the house. 

My mom’s friend greeted me with open arms. A breeze filtered through the trees. I looked back. The pine-straw was undisturbed. My rescuer was gone.

Life is full of unseen dangers. Thankfully, we have a God who protects, guides, and holds our hand through the storms of life. And sometimes, He even sends someone wearing painter’s coveralls to carry us safely home.

You can find Lisa blogging on her site LisaBuffaloe.com and her radio program Living Joyfully Free. 

About Grace for the Char-Baked...

With “Char” as a nickname, Charlotte Wilson’s cooking skills are more incendiary than culinary. Charlotte is the last person on earth who should run a bake sale. But when her plans of running in a charity marathon are sidelined by a broken foot, her old flame’s suggestion becomes a challenge amidst her friend’s simmering doubts.

Luke Hammond has spent the last five years studying and preparing to travel overseas as a medical missionary. When his high school sweetheart unexpectedly comes back in his life, Luke wrestles with what he feels God calling him to be and what he wants to do. His reappearance rekindles an attraction that could char Luke and Charlotte’s heart or cook up the perfect romance.

Lisa's book can be found at Amazon and CreateSpace. Her other book, Prodigal Nights, can be found at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and CreateSpace.