We were living in Lebanon, Missouri, just having recently moved there from Lake of the Ozarks, where we had lived for 11 years. Lebanon, was only 25 miles from the Lake, and Lee continued to work there, and we also continued to attend church there every Sunday. Lee and I were in on the beginnings of a church that his cousin Mike had started. We had just recently moved from our first location, having out grown it, into a bigger building. Some remodeling had to be done, in order to accomidate what we needed for the church, class rooms, etc.

I arrived at the lake with our kids...just shortly before Lee was to get off work. I was going to meet him at the church, where we'd made arrangements to help out with some remodeling, that evening. Everyone arrived that was going to help, and we all dug in and tried to get as much work done as we could. There was a domino's pizza next door, and pizzas were brought in for all, for supper.

Having about a 45 mins. drive home, from where we were, we made the announcement to all that we were going to head out...and appologized for not being able to stay and help longer. But all understood, as they knew we had a longer drive home than anyone there. It was 11:00 p.m. when I pulled out of the church parking lot with the kids, and Lee pulled out behind me, on his motorcycle. As we got out into the road, Lee came around my left, beeped his horn, I smiled, waved, and he pulled out in front of me, and down the road he went. For several miles, I could still see him in front of us, but winding through the middle of Osage Beach, and traffic, the kids and I soon lost sight of him.

15 miles later, we arrived in the small town of Camdenton, where we turn off of Hwy. 54, onto S. Hwy 5, that takes us to Lebanon. It is exactly 25 miles, and takes only about 20 mins. to drive. The kids and I arrived home just around midnight. Pulling into the driveway, and noticting that the bike wasn't there, didn't alarm me too much, because Lee usually put it in the garage. We unloaded and headed into the house. Looking around, I soon realized that Lee wasn't there, and questioned as to where he could be, considering that he was ahead of us when we left the church. I still didn't think much about it. Lee sooooo loved his Harley Davidson motorcycle, and was continually spending time washing it, and polishing it. I teased him that he was going to wash and polish so much, that the paint would be gone...lol. I figured after being on the road as we had been, that he'd stopped at the car wash when he got into town, to wash the road dirt off. After about a half hour, and still no Lee, I told the kids I was gonna jump in the car, and run up to the car wash, and would be right back. We passed the car wash that Lee always used as we came into town, but I had never thought about looking there as we arrived. I had just assumed he'd gone home. So, I couldn't say that I'd remembered seeing him there when we'd passed. I got to the car wash...no Lee. I was really started to get stumped, and somewhat worried that something had happened. Lee is a diabetic, and has on occasion had problems with low blood sugar crashes. But, I assured myself that nothing had happened or was wrong, and then told myself that he had probably stopped along the way to visit some friends that lived right on Hwy 5, not far out of Camdenton. I drove down Hwy. 5, just a little out of town, to a spot where I knew there was a long stretch in the road, and you could see for several miles. I sat and watched for a minute, sure that at any second, I would see the one light motorcycle top over the distant hill. But, after sitting for about 10 mins...there was till no Lee.

I got back home, and immediately called the friends of ours that live on the hwy. I could tell the minute that they answered the phone that they were in bed, and had obviously, not had a visit from Lee. They confirmed that, saying that Lee hadn't stopped by there on his way home. By this time, it was probably about 12:30, and I was really beginning to worry. I decided to wait a bit longer, and around 1:00 or a little after, I got on the phone and called Lee's cousing Mike, asking him if he'd by any chance heard anything from Lee after he left the church. I told him how worried I was, and immediately asked him to start praying for Lee, that all was well, and he was safe. Mike told me to call the highway patrol, and they could tell me of any accidents that might have been reported. That was about the scariest thing I ever had to do....I was so frightened of what they were going to say. But, my fears were releaved when they informed me that no accidents had happened on Hwy 54 between Osage Beach and Camdenton, or on Hwy 5 towards Lebanon. So, we waited....and waited. Finally, about 2:30, worried till I was almost sick, and not knowing what else to do, I took Kirk, left Landon at home with Moriah, and informed Landon that I was going to head back towards Camdenton, to see if possibly he'd had some sort of trouble, and we somehow passed him without seeing him. I told Landon that if I got all the way to Camdenton (25 miles) and didn't find him, that I was going to go streight to the Sheriff's Dept. and report it.

Kirk and I drove...about 40 mph, all the way to Camdenton, looking in ditches, and down side roads for any sign of Lee. But, there was none. By this time, I was panicing, as it was about 3:00am. I just knew something horrible had happened, and I was scared to death that possibly Lee was hurt, or even dead somewhere. My praying at that point, sure intensified. As soon as we got to Camdenton, I when right to the sheriff's dept., and preceeding to tell them of the evenings events, and of my concern. As I was telling my story to one officer, another, who had her back to me, turned around and spoke to me... "Levonne"....when I looked up, it was a friend of ours that was a sheriff with the dept. She informed me, that she just then had received word that Lee had been brought in to Lake Ozark General hosptial, just arriving around 3:00. She could tell me nothing else, except that it was a problem with his diabetes. I was so relieved that he was alive, but yet paniced all the way to the hospital, not knowing exactly what kind of status he was in. I arrived at the hospital, very relieved to see him sitting up in the bed, and appearing fine. Then he preceeded to tell me the story........

When a diabetic's blood sugar, or anyones blood sugar, for that matter, drops too low...you loose all sense of reality. You're confused, can't think or reason, ....and even appear at times to be drunk. Somewhere, between leaving the church, and reaching Camdenton, Lee's blood sugar began to drop rapidly. It is amazing that he could keep himself on the bike, with the confusion that goes along with low blood sugar. With reality gone, and reasoning out the window...needless to say, he had NO idea of what he was doing or where he was. Arriving in Camdenton, and probably not even realizing he was there, he continued west on Hwy. 54, instead of turning onto S. Hwy. 5 towards Lebanon. After driving about 60 miles, he came to Hwy 65,.... and something triggered. He told me that he remembered saying to himself... "65?" "I shouldn't be here." There was a little all night place open, and he says he remembers even thinking that he should go inside and call me, that I'd be worried, but then, thinking irrationally, as he was, decided not to call, because as he put it... "she'll be in bed asleep, and I'll wake her up." WHATEVER gave him the idea that I'd be in bed asleep, at 2am, when he hadn't yet arrived home, I sure don't know. But, that's what low blood sugar will do to your reasoning. So, realilzing he was in the wrong spot, he turned around and headed back to Camdenton. Sheriff's found him, motorcycle on it's side, laying along the side of Hwy. 54, just about 10 miles from Camdenton. The sheriff asked him if he'd been drinking, and Lee was still coherant enough to answer him... "no...but I am a diabetic, and I'm having problems". The ambulance was called, and Lee was rushed to the hospital. When the paramedics took his blood sugar reading in the ambulance, it was 17. Normal should be between 90-120. It is amazing that he was still conscience, and not in a diabetic coma. He was given two bags of glucose, and even after both of those, and by the time I'd reached the hospital, his sugar level was still only about 35....still way to low. But, as we waited at the hospital, it gradually began to rise, and they soon released him to go home.

It is nothing short of a miracle, we know, that God had His angels all about Lee that night. Traveling on a motorcycle at 70mph, without your right senses as usual...it's a wonder that he hadn't wrapped his bike around a tree, or ran head on into a car, or semi. The bike wasn't scratched or damaged too bad, so we are assuming that at some point, Lee, realizing that he didn't feel quite right, pulled the bike over, and then not being able to hold it up (it weighed about 850lbs.) just dropped it over on it's side, and laid down beside it. That is where the sheriffs found him.

So, Lee and I both, firmly agree, that God sends His angels to protect us...to guide us, and guard us. We praise Him that His angels were in attendance around Lee that night.