The Trucking Business

"One More Time Around"

Truck driving is never ending. If ever you find yourself at the end of one road, a simple left or right will take you on to a network of other paths, leading to other places, other sites, other lives, other existences. I found myself out West this last week, in the desert lands of New Mexico and down along the Rio Grande Valley. It'd been awhile since I'd been out that way, the company I run with hauls mostly east coast freight. I was laid over at a truck stop west of Albuquerque for several hours last Monday morning and watched the sun rise up over the Los Pinos Mountains. After a little while, I took my dog out for a walk to explore and make marks around the edge of the Flying J. We made our way around the west side of the facility, sniffing the dry shrubs and rocks that marked the border of the property, when we came upon an open gate in the fence line. Leading us further west, we followed the opportunity to walk out into the hot dirt and bushes to see closer the expanse of nothingness that the desert land offers. After a short little walk out that way, I'd had enough, stopped in my tracks, and was unwilling to proceed; but Chegg Dog continued. Strange thing about dogs, they're always willing to explore further than we are. He went his way and I remained, taking in the atmosphere and barren beauty of desolation. Minutes passed, and when my attention was called back to my companion, he was nowhere in sight. I called out to him once and he poked his head up from a dry mound of dirt that crossed another fence line. I made my way over to him to see what he'd found and it was there I realized he'd discovered the grave of Justin G. Strangest of all things was, that's my name. "What great irony Almighty God has for us in this life", I thought, that my own dog would lead me to the one physical marker in all the desert that symbolized the death of one man's spirit, and the rebirth of another, beneath an old iron cross. Praise Almighty God. Amen.