driving is good for my soul

This past Friday, I left on a business trip to Great Falls. I left Kalispell and drove into Glacier National Park. Now, first off, if you have never been to Montana and especially never visited Glacier National Park, please come for a visit. It's one of the most beautiful spots I know in this great nation of ours. Ok, so as I am driving through I am overwhelemed by the mountains and their beauty so I call Val and tell her I'm blessed to live here, when beep...Call lost. I must admit to you all right now that I am a cell phone driving person. I need to purchase a blue tooth so that I can do both and not worry people like Anna, my mom, Megs, etc. Again, back to the story. I can't get cell service. Doesn't this suck? It actually quickly became a blessing and a half. I had to observe the country I was driving through. So, as you leave East Glacier, you come to a town called Browning. It's on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and I am overwhelmed again. As I drive along the plains of eastern Montana are before me. And I do my best to describe how I am feeling to the voice clips that I have on my phone because I don't want to forget this. I want to share this feeling. And that feeling was, woah, I don't belong here. It was a feeling of awe and injustice and reverency for the past and the west and indians and buffalos and history. I wanted to see horses running wild and grazing herds of "tatoncas." I wanted to weep over this loss and blood shed and wars fought and land conquered. It made me start wondering what right we felt we had coming to this land and moving in and moving people groups out. So I gave a little nod to the statues as I left the res, hoping to somehow convey my thoughts. And then I popped in an old worship CD from years back and started to sing and cry and be with my Lord. And my heart softened. And I was brought to a place I haven't been in awhile, a place of solitude and surrender. And I stayed there. And it was good. And I was greatful for my cell phone not working and my drive to and from Great Falls. I recall years back, I used to go on drives just for that purpose, to be alone. To listen to the one who knows my soul and speaks when I drive.

Then,
on the way home I was amazed to be pulled over by a highway patrol man. I say amazed because I had set my cruise control on 75 and thought that's how fast I was going. I was wrong! But, go figure, the cop that pulled me over is a Lang Creek loving beer fan.
He asked me what I was doing in Great Falls?
I said I was on a business trip.
Where do you work?
Lang Creek Brewery.
Really? What a great job. He took my license and walked back to his car.
3 min later...
Miss Driscoll, I clocked you at going 86 in a 75 which normally is a $50.00 ticket but I just gave you a $20.00 ticket. You have a nice day and keep up the great work, God Bless You!

Now, that has to be the first time ever, being in the beer business caught me a break with law enforcement.