It has been over seven years since my husband died, and I am still benefiting from his foresight in planning for his death and how his absence would affect me. One of the plans he set into motion for my benefit involved his big, old, loud white truck. For his retirement from the fire department in 1999 my hubby bought himself a brand new 2000 Dodge diesel dually truck that pulled our fifth-wheel RVs for the next ten years we traveled across this country.
During the three years we lived in the Colorado mountains at an elevation of over 10,000 feet there were times I drove what he called his Big White Hoss to traverse rough rocky roads and several feet of snow, but when we moved back south to a less harsh environment it wasn’t my vehicle of choice. I could not get used to keeping the dually’s wide “hips” within the correct parameters of narrow lanes.
Knowing that I wasn’t comfortable driving the Hoss, shortly before he died from cancer he gave the truck to our daughter and her husband with the understanding that when I needed anything hauled they would get it done for me. He didn’t want me to be burdened with upkeep and insurance for two vehicles, but he knew there would be times when I would need a truck … like this past week when my daughter and I were trading furniture and mattresses back and forth between our houses. So when she drove up this morning in this 19-year-old truck delivering a big sheet of plywood to me I was reminded of how, in spite of the terminal cancer her daddy was dealing with, he was looking ahead trying to make life easier for me. Renting a truck to haul stuff is one less thing I have to pay to have done!
Even though Phaedra and Clyde have put thousands of dollars into mechanical upkeep over the past few years to keep the Hoss running, they have been faithful to her daddy’s wishes of making his truck available to me when I need it. And, every time I hear that loud old hoss driving up it makes me appreciate and be thankful for the foresight that has lightened some financial loads for me.
Once a woman is widowed she starts paying for so many things and services that previously her husband took care of, and if you don’t think people take advantage
of a woman alone, you haven’t walked a mile in our shoes. To some having a truck available (and the muscle to load and unload) won’t seem like a big deal, but to those of us who all too often have trouble finding someone ready, willing and able to do what we need done, it is an important blessing, and I’m thankful for it.