I am grateful to be here today. Grateful. Profoundly grateful.
  On my way home from church yesterday around noonish, the state route exits on the left and the ramp dumps me onto the Interstate which takes me home. Where the ramp meets the interstate there are four lanes of traffic. Normally, I wait a bit before merging into the next lane right of me. Eventually, the left lane ends and there are only three lanes and after crossing a reservoir the far right lane exits onto the tollway and then there are only two lanes.
  As I was on the exit ramp which curves upward and straightens downward, I usually keep my speed to around 40 mph, it is after all a curve. I will pick up speed after the curve and as I moved downward onto the Interstate. Well, yesterday I had a silver pickup truck behind who was pushing me and I
decided to merge onto lane to my right as soon as it was safe to do so, and it was and so, I did. In the meanwhile, there was a semi truck to the right back of me and to the left of me where the pickup was gathering up speed, was a beige minivan with a handicapped plaque hanging from the rear view mirror and an older gent driving it in the farthest left lane - the one I had just left and the pickup truck was still in - the wrong way!! I slowed down but I couldn't go right with the semi right on my tail. The pickup truck pulled onto the left berm and stopped. The beige minivan going the wrong way kept on going.
   Had I not merged to the right when I did, I would most likely have been hit head on. I didn't see him soon enough as I was checking my right side mirror and rearview mirror to merge to the lane on my right, by the time I completed that maneuver there was that minivan. I prayed and prayed that no one would be hit. The pick up truck got back on the road and passed me on the bridge of the reservoir. I was too shaken to drive as fast as I normally do.
   That was the second time in my lifetime that while driving on an Interstate that I was met with a wrong way driver. Thankfully, both times were Sundays and in daylight where you can see them coming. Night would be a whole other scenario.
   So I am grateful to be here, grateful for a busy week with meetings the next two evenings and the mid-week Lenten service on Wednesday where I will be preaching and then the launch of Palm Sunday into Holy Week and Easter.
   Now if I could get rid of this sinus cold and cough.