Note: The blog entry below was written before I began writing this blog, and was once posted on Facebook. Brad and I have been through so many car-related troubles, and this is just one way that God has chosen to bless us through awful circumstances. Please note that this took place while Brad was in grad school, and I had recently begun a position as a secretary at a realty company. Money was tight, though the recession had not hit us hard just yet. It was barely 2009, just six months into our marriage.
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For the living to tell about it part, I am incredibly thankful.
So,
last week, Brad got rear-ended when he was driving my cute little black
Nissan. (You can read more about that car's destiny here. And about how God blessed us through it, here.) Minor, just needed to be taken to a repair shop to get an
estimate. Insurance will cover it. No big deal.
On Friday, as in the 30th of January, Brad came down to my office to pick
up my car and take it to the dealership to get an estimate. he was
driving our new red Chevy (2001 Cavalier), and left it in the parking
lot for me while he took my car to get the estimate. the dealership
evidently doesn't do that kind of estimate at the location Brad went to,
so Brad called me for directions to the other dealership. easy, since I
have a computer in front of me all day.
About 15
minutes later, he called, lost, needing help to find the dealership. he
had just gone too far, and needed to turn around. (which he did while
talking to me on the phone...) as he was pulling his u-turn on a
relatively quiet country road, he just didn't look to see the semi
coming down the road, and pulled out - an absolutely terrifying
experience of glass breaking, metal crunching, and then silence on my
end.
I was shocked, and so grateful to hear his voice
when he called back 5 minutes later to tell me that he was okay, he had
been hit, the car was wrecked, and he had called 911. He was sobbing -
way more than disconcerting!
I hopped in the car with
my manager, and she drove me all the way to where he was. On the way, I
called my pastor (who started praying immediately and put us on the
prayer chain), my parents, and the other branch of the office where I
worked to let them know what was going on.
When I got there, he seemed okay.I am so grateful for his life.
So grateful. I can't even explain how thankful I am for him. (tears - just a second - I'll be back.)
I'm back. Evidently the damage is fixable (post script: it was fixable, and the insurance money provided groceries for us for a few months. Just one way God chose to bless us through pain). We shall see. at this point, I'm thankful for insurance.
There
are so many reasons for me to live a grateful life, and this is
hopefully the only attention-arresting moment we'll ever have to endure. It has been a tough two months - with Brad's Saturn dying, having to
buy another car, getting rear-ended, and now this. We're not sure how
we'll make it, but we know that God will provide for all our needs. He
has kept us safe, and we are incredibly thankful to Him - for life, for
each other, for safety, and for our family and friends. We love you!
Showing posts with label car. Show all posts
Showing posts with label car. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Friday, August 30, 2013
beep beep: on impatience
Our Jeep is a blessing.
You might laugh at that, but it is. And this is what I was chanting to myself last Saturday as I buckled Joshua into his carseat and started up the car for a grocery run on that rainy summer morning.
I buckled my seat belt and then realized that the seat was wet. Really wet. And then I gripped the steering wheel - also wet. The rain was leaking into the car, pooling in the upholstered ceiling, and dripping from the driver's side shade right onto my leg. Frustrated, I grabbed the only thing I could reach while still buckled - the picnic blanket I've kept in the car this summer - and tried to deal. Then I realized that my toes, too, were being dripped upon. What a day for flip flops, right?
Then I began to feel bad for myself. "Why do I have a ten-year-old leaky Jeep? Why can't I have a nice new car that's comfortable?" But I was stopped in my tracks as God quickly reminded me that, A. I don't deserve any of the blessings he's given (among them food, clothes, a home, shelter, a family), let alone this car, B. I'm on my way to buy groceries, for which we have just enough money, and C. This car is dependable. Not to mention, D. This car was a GIFT to us.
When we couldn't buy a second car, and had just totaled our only vehicle, friends of ours just gave us their extra vehicle. Free. Gratis. No strings attached. That was how the Jeep came to be ours. We paid for its new salvage title in NY state (it was once in a rollover accident, and the frame has never been quite true since. Hence, the leaking and the doors and windshield not fitting quite perfectly), put on the new plates, and it was ours. A blessing. An unanticipated, undeserved blessing.
And yet, I'm still impatient. And ungrateful. The knee-jerk reaction when I'm frustrated. Beep beep!! You've inconvenienced me. Still catching myself thinking about that elusive day when we might have two cars again, when they might be newer than ten years old, when they won't be gas-guzzling, 18mpg vehicles. When we can buy new furniture. When we can upgrade....
And it's not wrong to dream, but it's wrong to dwell on what we wish we could have, when we have so many things we can be thankful for now. I need to cultivate gratitude and thankfulness, a peaceful spirit, and a gentle, generous heart. I need to be willing to give of what I have - materially and emotionally - to others. I need to stop holding on with such clenched little fists to these temporal things that really don't matter anyway.
Whew. It's hard, isn't it?
I'm thankful for:
1. Peace in my home
2. A loving husband
3. My sweet little boy
4. My cat
5. Our very own laundry machines in our very own house
6. Enough food to eat
7. Those cute sparrows we saw on the walk today, and the tiny orange flowers in someone's grass
8. My pink Nalgene full of clean, filtered, fresh water
9. Our church
10. That blessed blue Jeep Liberty.
 |
| (This hydrangea growing in my backyard is a blessing, too.) |
You might laugh at that, but it is. And this is what I was chanting to myself last Saturday as I buckled Joshua into his carseat and started up the car for a grocery run on that rainy summer morning.
I buckled my seat belt and then realized that the seat was wet. Really wet. And then I gripped the steering wheel - also wet. The rain was leaking into the car, pooling in the upholstered ceiling, and dripping from the driver's side shade right onto my leg. Frustrated, I grabbed the only thing I could reach while still buckled - the picnic blanket I've kept in the car this summer - and tried to deal. Then I realized that my toes, too, were being dripped upon. What a day for flip flops, right?
Then I began to feel bad for myself. "Why do I have a ten-year-old leaky Jeep? Why can't I have a nice new car that's comfortable?" But I was stopped in my tracks as God quickly reminded me that, A. I don't deserve any of the blessings he's given (among them food, clothes, a home, shelter, a family), let alone this car, B. I'm on my way to buy groceries, for which we have just enough money, and C. This car is dependable. Not to mention, D. This car was a GIFT to us.
When we couldn't buy a second car, and had just totaled our only vehicle, friends of ours just gave us their extra vehicle. Free. Gratis. No strings attached. That was how the Jeep came to be ours. We paid for its new salvage title in NY state (it was once in a rollover accident, and the frame has never been quite true since. Hence, the leaking and the doors and windshield not fitting quite perfectly), put on the new plates, and it was ours. A blessing. An unanticipated, undeserved blessing.
And yet, I'm still impatient. And ungrateful. The knee-jerk reaction when I'm frustrated. Beep beep!! You've inconvenienced me. Still catching myself thinking about that elusive day when we might have two cars again, when they might be newer than ten years old, when they won't be gas-guzzling, 18mpg vehicles. When we can buy new furniture. When we can upgrade....
And it's not wrong to dream, but it's wrong to dwell on what we wish we could have, when we have so many things we can be thankful for now. I need to cultivate gratitude and thankfulness, a peaceful spirit, and a gentle, generous heart. I need to be willing to give of what I have - materially and emotionally - to others. I need to stop holding on with such clenched little fists to these temporal things that really don't matter anyway.
Whew. It's hard, isn't it?
I'm thankful for:
1. Peace in my home
2. A loving husband
3. My sweet little boy
4. My cat
5. Our very own laundry machines in our very own house
6. Enough food to eat
7. Those cute sparrows we saw on the walk today, and the tiny orange flowers in someone's grass
8. My pink Nalgene full of clean, filtered, fresh water
9. Our church
10. That blessed blue Jeep Liberty.
Friday, July 1, 2011
another car adventure
I have had rehearsal each night this week except for Monday, when I went to visit my friend, Edna at her new apartment. Tuesday, I was able to share rides with my mom, which meant I had two hours to read part of my newly purchased forty-five-cent Jane Austen novel while I waited for her. Wednesday, I was on my own. I was pleased to find an easy on-street parking spot for the minivan, and I locked it and left it.
When I came back, I hopped in the van and started it, and began to pull out of the space onto the street. Something was wrong... the brakes were squishy, and not at all like before. The brake light wasn't on yet, so I figured I would drive it as far as the Auto Zone (about 2 miles, with only one turn and four stop lights). At the last stop light, I had to shift down to be able to stop completely... and then I saw smoke pouring out of the hood! Bad idea!!
The engine was not overheated, and the brake light still was not on, but I crawled along for the last half mile at about 25 mph with my flashers on. As I turned into the uphill driveway of Auto Zone, the brake light came on. I figured that the problem was probably a lack of brake fluid, and I planned to run inside for that so I could make it home.
I parked the car pretty poorly in the almost-empty lot, praying that the store would still be open. Unfortunately, it had closed about 20 minutes before I got there. My dad came to my rescue with another vehicle, and refilled the brake fluid to get us home.
What a frustrating way to end a long day, both for my dad, who owns the van, and for me. I'm grateful that we're safe, that we have alternate vehicles, and that I was able to stay calm throughout the ordeal.
Regardless, I could do without any more adventures of the vehicle sort.
When I came back, I hopped in the van and started it, and began to pull out of the space onto the street. Something was wrong... the brakes were squishy, and not at all like before. The brake light wasn't on yet, so I figured I would drive it as far as the Auto Zone (about 2 miles, with only one turn and four stop lights). At the last stop light, I had to shift down to be able to stop completely... and then I saw smoke pouring out of the hood! Bad idea!!
The engine was not overheated, and the brake light still was not on, but I crawled along for the last half mile at about 25 mph with my flashers on. As I turned into the uphill driveway of Auto Zone, the brake light came on. I figured that the problem was probably a lack of brake fluid, and I planned to run inside for that so I could make it home.
I parked the car pretty poorly in the almost-empty lot, praying that the store would still be open. Unfortunately, it had closed about 20 minutes before I got there. My dad came to my rescue with another vehicle, and refilled the brake fluid to get us home.
What a frustrating way to end a long day, both for my dad, who owns the van, and for me. I'm grateful that we're safe, that we have alternate vehicles, and that I was able to stay calm throughout the ordeal.
Regardless, I could do without any more adventures of the vehicle sort.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
deer dominos
It's a new game, evidently. It goes like this: one car has an issue, we call AAA, get it towed, and we send it to the shop. Day 3: get the second car stuck in our snowy driveway, and call AAA to get it out. Then we realize that this other car leaks excessive amounts of transmission fluid, and we just switch the two when the first is fixed. Two weeks later, when we finally get both cars back, I volunteer to drive students to and from our first choir concert of the semester in a city about an hour and a half from where we live.
Enter the deer. A whole herd, to be exact.
The trip to the concert was uneventful, with the exception of my day-long headache. The concert went well, and we departed for our campus. I had a full car-load with four passengers and myself in our nice Nissan, the newer of our two cars. We were about twenty minutes from campus when I noticed a group of deer running out in front of the car ahead of me. All of those deer and the vehicle ahead were unscathed. I assumed that was the entire herd...
...but it wasn't. What a startling awakening for my three sleeping backseat passengers - a sudden stop, crunched hood, car pieces splintered into the road, and not one, but two deer lying on the side of the road.
Being the driver, a leader in the ensemble and the oldest person in the car, there was absolutely no room for panic. I called my husband and asked him to come and meet us. I called AAA, and they managed to hang up on me before I got to the correct service area operators. I called our choir director to let him know what was going on, and had my passengers call someone on campus to pick them up. At this point, I didn't realize how badly the car had been damaged.
When my husband arrived, he took a look at the damage to the car. I had asked my passengers to stay in the car (safest and warmest option, anyway), and hadn't looked yet. I could see from the driver's seat that the hood was crumpled into an accordion shape, but didn't realize that the entire front end of the car was now concave.
My passengers' ride to campus arrived soon thereafter, as did the tow truck. It was the same truck driver that has answered our AAA call the past two times...looks like we're getting to be regulars. Since the accident was so severe, we also had to call the police to write up an accident report for our insurance agency. Nothing like an exciting evening, eh?
It's a wonderful thing that God gave my husband a new, better paying job with better hours in a place that's a little closer. He provided for our needs, and I know He will continue to do so. We are all safe, healthy, and we have each other. The rest will be taken care of.
Enter the deer. A whole herd, to be exact.
The trip to the concert was uneventful, with the exception of my day-long headache. The concert went well, and we departed for our campus. I had a full car-load with four passengers and myself in our nice Nissan, the newer of our two cars. We were about twenty minutes from campus when I noticed a group of deer running out in front of the car ahead of me. All of those deer and the vehicle ahead were unscathed. I assumed that was the entire herd...
...but it wasn't. What a startling awakening for my three sleeping backseat passengers - a sudden stop, crunched hood, car pieces splintered into the road, and not one, but two deer lying on the side of the road.
Being the driver, a leader in the ensemble and the oldest person in the car, there was absolutely no room for panic. I called my husband and asked him to come and meet us. I called AAA, and they managed to hang up on me before I got to the correct service area operators. I called our choir director to let him know what was going on, and had my passengers call someone on campus to pick them up. At this point, I didn't realize how badly the car had been damaged.
When my husband arrived, he took a look at the damage to the car. I had asked my passengers to stay in the car (safest and warmest option, anyway), and hadn't looked yet. I could see from the driver's seat that the hood was crumpled into an accordion shape, but didn't realize that the entire front end of the car was now concave.
My passengers' ride to campus arrived soon thereafter, as did the tow truck. It was the same truck driver that has answered our AAA call the past two times...looks like we're getting to be regulars. Since the accident was so severe, we also had to call the police to write up an accident report for our insurance agency. Nothing like an exciting evening, eh?
It's a wonderful thing that God gave my husband a new, better paying job with better hours in a place that's a little closer. He provided for our needs, and I know He will continue to do so. We are all safe, healthy, and we have each other. The rest will be taken care of.
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