"DEAR JACK"
THIS IS REALLY GOOD
JUST READ
SLOWLY
JUST Maybe
ALL OF US
IN THIS
HOLIDAY SEASON
SHOULD
PASS THIS ALONG
FOR WE ALL
HAVE
LOVED ONES
WE DO NOT WANT TO LOOSE,
SO
REMEMBER
AS WE
DRIVE HOME
FROM WORK EACH
DAY AND NIGHT
Jack took a long look at his speedometer
before
slowing down:
73 in a 55 zone.
Fourth time in as
many months.
How could a guy get caught so often?
When his car had slowed to 10 miles an hour, Jack
pulled over,
but only partially.
Let the cop worry
about the potential traffic hazard.
Maybe some other
car will tweak his backside with a mirror
. The cop
was stepping out of his car,
the big pad in hand.
Bob? Bob from
Church?
Jack sunk farther into his trench coat.
This was worse than
the coming ticket.
A cop catching a guy from his own church.
A guy who
happened to be a little eager
to get home after a
long day at the office.
A guy he was about to play
golf with tomorrow.
Jumping out of the car,
he approached a man he saw
every
Sunday,
a man he'd never seen in uniform.
"Hi, Bob. Fancy meeting you like this."
"Hello, Jack."
No smile.
"Guess you caught me red-handed
in a rush to see my wife and kids."
"Yeah, I guess."
Bob seemed uncertain.
Good.
"I've seen some long days at the office lately.
I'm afraid I bent the rules a bit
just this once."
Jack toed at a pebble on the pavement.
"Diane said
something about
roast! beef and potatoes tonight.
Know what I mean?"
"I know what you mean.
I also know that you have a
reputation in our precinct."
Ouch.
This was not
going in the right direction.
Time to change
tactics.
"What'd you clock me at?"
"Seventy.
Would you sit back in your car please?"
"Now wait a minute here,
Bob.
I checked as soon as I
saw you.
I was barely nudging 65."
The lie seemed to
come
easier
with every ticket.
"Please,
Jack,
in the car."
Flustered, Jack hunched himself through
the
still-open door.
Slamming it shut,
he stared at the dashboard.
He was
in no rush
to open the window.
The minutes ticked by.
Bob scribbled away
on the pad.
Why hadn't he asked
for a driver's license?
Whatever the reason
it would be a month of Sundays
before Jack ever
sat near this cop again.
A tap on
the door
jerked his head to the left.
There was Bob,
a folded paper in hand
Jack rolled down the window
a mere two inches,
just enough room for Bob
to pass
him the slip.
"Thanks."
Jack could not quite keep
the sneer out of
his voice.
Bob returned to his police car
without a word.
Jack
watched his retreat
in the mirror.
Jack unfolded the
sheet of paper.
How much was this one going to cost?
Wait a mi! minute.
What was this?
Some kind of joke?
Certainly not a ticket.
Jack began to read:
"Dear Jack,
Once upon a time
I had a daughter.
She was
six years old
when
killed
by a car.
You guessed it-
a speeding driver.
A fine and three months in jail,
and the man was free.
Free to hug his daughters,
All three of them.
I only had one,
and I'm going to have to wait until
Heaven
before I can ever hug her again.
A
thousand times
I've tried to forgive that man. A
thousand times
I thought I had.
Maybe I did,
but I
need to do it again.
Even now.
Pray for me.
And be
careful
,
Jack,
my son is all I have left."
"Bob"
Jack turned around in time to see Bob's car pull
away and head down the road. Jack watched until it
disappeared. A full 15 minutes later, he too, pulled
away and drove slowly home, praying for forgiveness
and hugging a surprised wife and kids when he arrived.
Life is precious. Handle with care. This is an
important message; please pass it along to your
friends. Drive safely and carefully. Remember, cars
are not the only things recalled by their maker.
Funny how you can send a thousand jokes' through
e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you
start sending messages regarding the sanctity of
life, people think twice about sharing.
Funny how when you go to forward this message, you
will not send it to many on your address list
because you're not sure what they believe, or what
they will think of you for sending it to them. Pass
this on, you may save a life. Maybe not, but we'll
never know if we don't try.
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