One Last Run

Almost two years it's been...my mom running the business she and my dad started. 

On her own. 

She's got a lot of grit. Gotta give her that! There's not too many women who would have been able to see through the blur of tears and grief to take on such an enterprise single-handedly after their husband passed on. But, she's done it. 

To be fair though, the praise and glory in this circumstance doesn't really go to her. The truth is, while externally it may have appeared that she's been doing it solo, my mother has never really been alone on this journey. She wasn't just pulling herself up by her bootstraps. She was clinging to to the Rock amidst the storm - constantly petitioning God for wisdom, direction, strength...And through this whole ordeal I have seen her faith grow more than it ever has before. Because when we get to the end of ourselves, that is when we really see that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Daily the Father provided, leading her to the right people to answer her questions, helping her to keep her interactions with others seasoned with grace, and providing the wisdom for difficult choices. More than once she has had to take leaps of faith, just trusting that He was going to get her there. It was in His hands. He provided the strength for the day.

With lots of prayer though, Mom finally felt that the time has arrived to move on to a new undertaking. While trucking has been a blessing in many ways, from providing the finances to put my sister and I through college to providing my mom with flexibility when we were kids, it also carried a lot of stress. With great consideration, my mom decided that in this season of her life, it is time to let go. There are so many other things that she wants to put her energy towards. From aging parents to boisterous grandchildren, a small window of time exists for her to savor the "now." And so, after 24 years of building an honest, hard-working, respectable company, the time has come for rest. Vaught Transfer has taken its last load.

In her sentimental yet spunky way, Mom didn't want to let it go out without a little bit of a bang though. The last Friday in October, all three trucks rode out of the pipe yard and down I-66 together for one last run...a tribute to my dad as one more chapter of their lives together drew to a close...

Courtney, the kids, and I woke up early to go out and watch as the trucks made their way past our houses that morning - a proud but sad moment as they honked their loud horns when they saw us. There were tons of cars that ran that highway at the same time that day, most of who had no idea the significance of what this "parade" was to us as we waved when they passed by. But to us - especially her - it was important. Closure.

The only truck my dad ever bought new. I remember him bringing it home, proud of it as we all took turns sitting in the driver's seat, tugging the horn.

...and at the tail end, guess who was bringing up the rear in my dad's old pick-up? Mom - waving with smiles and tears as she passed us.

I am so grateful for the wisdom my dad had to start this company, the financial means and quality of life it provided, the reputation it held, and the challenges it brought that required my mom to lean on God for a deepening of her relationship with Him. However, I am also so thrilled that her small shoulders don't have the weight of the extra burden that running trucking company can be any longer. Continue to keep her in your prayers as she seeks what God has in store for her next...with all that He has carried her through, we are excited to see what is ahead.