$600 Sunday

So--how did I manage to spend $600 in one hour today? I knocked 2 tires off my car and had to replace them. Yeah. I'm just that good. Really. I don't do anything halfway. I suppose that is technically halfway. I could have found a way to destroy all 4 tires at once, but they all needed to be replaced anyway, so what the hell?
Here's what happened:
Went to church with all 3 boys. Fine. All kids up early, well behaved, ate breakfast, in car on time. Dropped off at Sunday school without tears. Lovely service. Registered 11 children from 5 families for VBS. Picked up my kids, plus a playdate for N. from Sunday school. The plan was to go to Taco Bell for lunch and go home. Well--just as we rounded the corner leaving church--J. started to cry for his milk cup. I reached back to give it to him and WHAM! Up on the curb. Boom boom boom. "Mommy what was that?" It was a tire. Or the tires. Or something. I don't know.
"Mom--what was that? What happened?" Trying to keep my voice calm in front of the child I don't know I said "Please just let me think for one second."
I get out of the car. The back tire has a huge knot that reminds me of the kids foreheads on many occasions of falling off of bicycles or whatever. The front tire is completely flat. I pull the typical Army wife routine. It goes like this: Tears spring to eyes. Hands run through hair. Hands go to hips. Deep breath. Quiet cuss word under breath. Faster now. . .another deep breath. . .hands through hair, pull into ponytail. Chin up--look tire square in the eye (if it had eyes) and say "Understand me tire. I have faced things MUCH more difficult than this. YOU WILL NOT BEAT ME!! If you wanted to beat me, you should have at least flattened 2 of them. I have a spare. HA!!!"

Now, you understand that this bluff is for my own benefit--to fight back the tears--and for the benefit of my children, who cannot see me burst into hysteria, in case they might join me. So, fine here we go. I'll change the damn tire. I'm not helpless. It might take me a while, but I can do it. Except for the fact that I can't get the stupid jack out of the back of the van. It is stuck. I then start to speak to the jack "You can't beat me either!" Children are now giggling at the crazy woman behind their carseats talking to pieces of metal. I am not dissuaded. "I am much stronger than you are . don't let the skirt and heels fool you . . ." Male voice says "Need some help?" I almost simultaneously have a heart attack and wet my pants (neither actually happened, fortunately).

A man is standing there. He has very short hair. He looks like a soldier. I love him for this. I say "I have a flat tire. I know how to change it. But, if you are not in a hurry, I would very much appreciate your help." So, for those of you who think I am stubborn--how's that for learning? 10 years ago I probably would have said "No I don't want your help." But, he's bigger and stronger than me, and probably has more experience at changing tires. He also has a minivan with a wife and kids in the car, so he probably isn't going to hurt me. He also came from the direction of my church. God is shining down on me with a spotlight!!!

So--he says no problem, pops the jack out of the bracket (there's a little spring thing I hadn't noticed YET). Another car pulls up, driver gets out. He is the first guy's best buddy. And his wife has the same van as me. And--she had a flat tire last week!!! She knows how to get the spare out!! (A very cool contraption on the Sienna--let me tell ya!) So--they get it all taken care of, while I go back and forth telling their wives thank you for being willing to stop, etc.

I asked the guys if someone pulls them aside in high school and teaches them to change tires and tells them they should always stop if a woman has a flat and she's alone. At the same time they both say "No, I'd just hope someone would stop for my wife." DO YOU LOVE THAT OR WHAT???????? Love that!! Seriously! I can change a tire. Really, I've done it before, just to prove that I could. But this was so much better than doing it myself in a skirt and heels with 4 boys in the car!!!!

Oh--get this. I was talking to one of the women and she said her husband could never have just driven by a military wife and not stopped. How did he know I was a military wife? She said "He just knew." HOW???? My army sticker is on the back of the car, but the door was open so he couldn't see it. I don't have any yellow ribbons or anything else. What does that mean "He just knew?" I have no idea. I didn't ask her. I guess I was too rattled.

So, they were very worried about me driving on the bubble tire. I said I would go slow and go straight to get a new one. They told me to go to Costco, and if I wasn't a member they would go with me and use their membership--ARE YOU KIDDING ME?????? I am a member. One guy called and they were open and there was not even a wait. We drove away, and they were in front of me. I guess they were really worried the other tire was going to blow, because they ended up going all the way to Costco with me. They turned around in the parking lot and waved goodbye to me.

Can you believe that story? Now really--what I want to do right now is cry--because I had to spend $600 and I don't even have $60, but can you believe all the blessings in this story?

1. It was a beautiful sunny day and we were leaving our church of 7000 people instead of a pouring down rainy night in the middle of nowhere all alone
2. I hit the curb instead of another car.
3. Only 1 tire blew, so the 1 spare was adequate.
4. Amazingly kind people stopped to help me.
5. If the kind people hadn't stopped--my wonderful father taught me how to change a tire before I got my license. He said "I hope you never have to do it. But if you ever need to--you'll be able to." That lesson can be applied to a lot of things--don't you think?

And finally, all the way to Costco, I talked to my kids--3 little boys, growing into men, about why, sometimes, it is the right thing for a man to do something for a woman, just because he is a man and she is a woman. Not because she can't do it. But because it is easier, or safer for him to do it. We also talked about true Christian living. How we had just come from church, and it is great to go and learn about Jesus, and study God's word, but it is more important to go out and live those words everyday. Those guys were our own modern day Good Samaritans. We retold the Good Samaritan story, and even R. remembered most of the details! I was so proud of them. And, of course, as is typical in most brain rattling situations--I have no idea what those people's names were.

I am going to try to send a note through the church bulletin, but for now, I am just reminding myself how important it is to find the blessings in every situation.

As a sidenote--on the way home, with our fresh new tires, we passed what remained of a very bad accident. I wonder what time it happened? I wonder if we hadn't added an extra 45 minutes to our trip, where we would have been at the time that accident took place?