When introducing the poem, Desert Waste, I referred to another adventure. This is that adventure.

My husband and I went fishing at Lake Pleasant north of Phoenix, Arizona with our new 4×4 Nissan Xterra. We traveled roads only a 4-wheel drive vehicle could manage. I was concerned that we were out in the wilderness with only a burro to keep us company. The temperatures that day reached over 100 degrees. After several unsuccessful attempts to find the fishing cove my husband saw on a map, we decided to head back home calling it a day.

We drove over a bridge, hit pavement and I heard one of our tires losing air. My husband pulled into a parking area, the right rear tire was flatter than a pancake. We were alone, hot and almost out of water. Since it was a new vehicle, we referred to the Operator’s Manual to find the spare and jack. It turned out to be quite a chore. We had to clear out the back of our vehicle just to get to the jack. Then, one of us had to get under the vehicle to release the spare tire. I did my best to remain calm and unafraid; neither of us are agile and in good shape. I said a quick prayer, started unloading the gear and heard a vehicle pull up next to us. A man in another Xterra stopped and asked, “Do you need help?”

I said, “Yes” quietly thanking God for the rescue.

Before I could explain the situation, a truck pulled in and two men jumped out. Then, another pickup came with two additional men. We introduced ourselves, thanked them for stopping and one of them said, “We got this.”

The team of five huddled for a few seconds then went to work replacing the flat tire. One got a jack from the back of his vehicle, another slid under our Xterra to get the spare. My husband and I watched in amazement. I blurted out, “Thank you God, you sent a pit crew to our rescue.”

We thanked them profusely. Asked if there was any way we could show our gratitude. One of them said, “No need, it’s what we do. We’re Firefighters and decided to do some four-wheeling on our day off.”

On the drive home, I said to my husband, “Isn’t it wonderful to run across good people who care?”

I will always be grateful for the gift from above—a pit crew of off-duty Firefighters.