I’m thinking about you today. It doesn’t matter when you read this, I can guarantee you that you’re on my mind.

How can I say that and mean it? Because I think about this newsletter and the people like you , who chose to make the decision to receive it. No one forced you. You decided to fill in that form and that is not something I take lightly.

This week’s newsletter is special to me for reasons you’ll clearly understand by the time you’re done. This wasn’t an easy one to write.

If no one has told you how much you’re appreciated — yet today — let me be the first. I say that sincerely and from the heart.

Have an amazing day today.
Andrea | LovinTruckin

The first time I spoke with Zena Sue Biggs…

…was 8 years ago through YouTube comments. She left a wonderful and very kind post on one of our videos… and then another and another.

We chatted in the comments section for awhile and due to this woman’s tenacity and friendly nature… we ended up talking over-the-phone — and then finally — got to meet face-to-face in a Denny’s near her (and her husband Mike’s) home in Tennessee.

Zena Sue and her husband/team-partner Mike — a bear of a man! — were on home-time which as only a hop-skip-and-a-jump from the Tennessee/Kentucky border and I-65.

James and I were driving for USAC, at the time and thankfully got to meet our friends for the first time IRL — after some 4+ years of being friends! — we got to share a cuppa’, lots of laughter and several big hugs.

When we first met… Zena Sue and Mike, were driving a big rig with Schneider; leased on as owner-operators.

They freely shared their stories, answered our questions about leasing with that company and were open books in every way.

If either of them could do anything to help anyone — they would do it.

Over the years since that first post, Zena Sue and I spoke regularly. And even if months went by without chatting somewhere — either on Facebook or online, through email or over-the-phone — the connection never waivered one bit. We took up right where we left off and marched together from there!

Back in late 2019…
James and I were looking at several raw properties throughout Missouri. We had just arrived at a 30 acre piece of raw land, when the phone rang.

It was Zena Sue.

So, James and I got out of the car and started walking into the woods — while talking with Zena Sue on the phone. I put the phone on speaker and we all started chatting about wild grape vines of all things.

Within a matter of minutes… can you guess?

James and I came across nothing other than a massive wild grapevine and we decided to do an experiment while Zena Sue listened on the other end of the phone.

James gently cut the vine in a particular way, so as not to permanently damage the vine — when a good bit of water came pouring out in a fairly short time.

Zena Sue was hooping and hollering on the other end of the line and we all laughed at the success of this survival trick in the woods. If we had been desperate for water… well there ya go!

That brings me to a couple of weeks ago when I called Zena Sue, to ask if she’d be willing to read one of my newly completed eBooks for the LovinTruckin website. I wanted her feedback and suggestions if she had any — to make the book better. I’ve asked several close friends and experienced drivers to do this.

I immediately heard, “Oh hon! I would love that. Of course I will!” she said with genuine enthusiasm. “Anything I can do to help. You know that…” her familiar Tennessee accent flowing all over the words like warm honey.

Since they were on home-time when I called, we agreed that I would send her the book for download and she would read it right after they got back out on the road. Then we could talk about it the following week (this last week).

Perfect!

This last week was our target date for the conversation about the eBook. However…

James and I were running loops this last week, which is a pickup to a drop, then pickup at the drop point and go back to the first pickup location. Two of those in one week. It was tough to fit the call in with Zena Sue, so we shelved it for this weekend.

Last night, she and Mike were on my mind so strong that I made a note to call today or send a note — and today I got the news from family…

Zena Sue and Mike Biggs, were killed in a crash, on February 14th, on I-40, in Arkansas. No one else was injured. As far as can so far be told, their truck hit a parked police car on the side of the roadway, sending the truck into a guardrail and ultimately rolled over.

I thought for quite awhile today about whether I would include this in this weeks LT NEWS — or not. Throughout the day it became crystal clear…

This poem tells why there would be no other choice to make.

We are here to celebrate your life
And the measure of its worth
In every single life you touched
While you were on this earth

I MUST celebrate their lives, their loves, their kindness and caring. Their toughness, persistence and tenacity. I want to celebrate their ability to do an often thankless job with SO MUCH gratitude and zest that it changed people around them.

I cannot imagine that if Zena Sue and Mike could choose — they would want it any other way than out over the road, on the way to their next adventure.

It’s interesting if you think about it… this happened 3 days ago.

Did I feel the loss when it happened? Perhaps I did. Maybe I simply didn’t recognize the soft touch of that change in the fabric of my own deeply held personal connections.

Nevertheless, until I heard the news today it did not occur to me these two wonderful people had left this physical realm.

James and I truly feel the loss of our friends today. For me, it comes and goes in waves… in tears… in smiles.

We all meet people everyday

Some make impressions and some simply move through like the wind. It is those who meet us back, who share some part of themselves with us that become chapters in our stories… leave imprints in our makeup… and change us, whether big or ever so tiny a change… help make us who we are.

Andrea
In Loving…