Christians celebrate Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021.
{Matthew 27:35 – Mark 15:25 – Luke 23:33 – John 19:18}
{Matthew 28:9 – Mark 16:9 – Luke 24:15 – John 20:14-15}
{Acts 1:3}
According to the Scriptures (yes the Old Testament & yes the New Testament yes the entire Holy Bible)
… a man named Jesus Christ was crucified for the sins of the entire world, and His death on the cross prepared the way for His Resurrection three days later. Point of fact I’m a believer … and so glad for Him.
I drive truck.
I like truck, so I drive truck. That’s my vehicle.
When I grab keys, those keys belong to truck. Truck drivers know … trucks drive. They might run a little rackety and belch a bit of smoke but those basnastards pretty much go forever.
So when the sound began that morning it wasn’t concerning, exactly, but something to get looked at. Heard it when I took my foot off the gas; zero acceleration caused a weird, repetitive thump someplace deep down under the body of the truck, closer to the ground. It didn’t get worse as the morning wore on – Half out of town, single parenting in effect, transporting theKid falls to me.
Digression: we found the house Half bought GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME in the fall, about 20 mins. from theKid’s then-current spot, and the decision was made not to relocate theKid because theKid would be starting a brand new spot closer to home over the summer and any parent w/kid sans nanny knows that actually locating (*and actually getting into) decent, unmolesty kidcare is paperworky and expensive and hassly and irritating … so leave theKid in kidcare 20 mins. away until new kidcare availability opens up in the summer.
The point, and back to: While driving tasks done all over house end of town the noise didn’t change, didn’t get worse, just … consistent. I began rearranging my brain … when to call the shop for appt. … how to drop off theKid, the truck, and then perform some activities to justify my paycheck while Half is working external (i.e., ≥ 100 miles away) … add’l cost of rental @Enterprise (they pick you up!) … overall shock to the expenses/which cc had room/total debt monkey capacity … time adjust needed for early am start to get theKid situated and deal w/truck and work and life and whatever deal with it.
Anyway, the noise continued and it was time to get theKid from kidcare. Ohwait here’s another one — During this period the road between the house and kidcare was all jacked up for progress. For seven whole delicious miles the Highway Authority (HA) divvied up the lanes into local access and express (à la no escape) so I avoided the express lane like the plague(—wait. How do you avoid the plague? Isn’t it in the air? How can you survive by not breathing? COVID!—anyway) so I avoided the express lane like spit on the sidewalk (ewww but better) because if something broke down you were stuck until HA cleared the blockage. I’d driven that exact route for months, keeping out of that 7-mile locked-in stretch, risking the traffic in local access ‘cuz I could, you know, locally access.
So the noise continued and I hit the road to get theKid from daycare and while brain rebooting on total autopilot suddenly I see truck … heading into the express lane … with the weird thump … it’s too late to merge right…. Hmmm. Why am I in this lane? I didn’t drive into this lane. I don’t use this lane. My move is to stay right then weave around the portable speedbumps. I have no time for this. What is this?
As my 4yo once told me: It is what it is and it’s not what it’s not.
Welp …! Look at that.
I sent up a quick prayer to the Lord, gave the situation to Him, and kept driving.
Now there’s a section of road with a slight incline … imagine a slow roll up a hill, bikeable even for the mostly out of shape. Might be breathing hard at the top but absent morbid obesity or lung disease the typical person could make that climb. Anyhoo, truck reached the base of the hill, gave her a little gas, and truck started having words. The noise went from “whum-whum-whum-whum-whum-whum-whum-whum” to “BLAAHT!!!BLAAHT!!!BLAAHT!!!BLAAHT!!!BLAAHT!!!BLAAHT!!!BLAAHT!!!BLAAHT” progressing up the hill and then, most concerning, something exploded. “Ooo.” Truck actually elevated a bit with the concussion. I like stuff like that, even as I am ruined. Heh. Glanced in the rearview and saw a rather large piece of metal … appeared a bit like the housing ‘round the differential, rocking gently in the center of the express lane … and I saw cars draw to very abrupt stops behind it, bursts of dust from slammed brakes on filthy roads. It was almost romantic. I am now a SIG alert.
For the uninitiated: Cars have engines. And transmissions. And tires. If a car is a person, think of the parts of the engine as the brain and the heart, the transmission as the skeleton (arms, legs, spine) and the tires as shoes. Engine and transmission have to work together to power the vehicle/body but if the transmission is broken, can’t move … automotive paralysis.
Just out of curiosity, I pressed the gas pedal; engine revved and said “Let’s go!” but transmission was in a mood. Found out later that one of the gears in the differential (not explaining that) had sheared or shredded or mucked up somehow but it was part of a recall (haHA!) and didn’t have to pay for it … more later
So truck exploded as we were moving up the incline, and there was juuussst enough momentum to reach the top, breach the apex, and head down the other side. As truck coasted on down the decline I managed to call the kidcare Lady and tell her what happened, got theKid squared away (@$1/min. until arrival) then settled in for the next.
Now, mind you, this entire time truck is shedding metal and blatting and generally making a nuisance of herself but still kept right on coasting down the hill. At the end of the 7-mile stretch the express and local access lanes came together in a V, with a neat little space to fit truck, completely outside the path of traffic GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME and as I leaned over to grab that triple-A card I just happened to glance in the rearview mirror and saw the flashing yellow lights of a tow truck.
I immediately started testifying and proselytizing and letting the world inside cab of truck know about the greatness of the Lord right there in the front seat of my brokedown truck stuck on the side of the road. GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME
I do not recall exactly how long I extolled his His greatness but eventually got out of truck and met the tow truck driver, a lovely young woman, hearty and robust. I knew I was grinning at her but couldn’t stop. I asked her, “Where’d you come from?” She explained that she JUST HAPPENED TO BE in the local access lanes, saw truck break down, and followed me to exactly right there in that exact spot. She even apologized for only being able to drop me in a safe place with plenty of lights and people and access to food and water and facilities but she was supposed to be on another call.
Hear you not do I … the greatness of GOD is immense, immeasurable, incalculable. Or better yet I would love to hear everything you know about the greatness of GOD … I am happy to listen. For hours.
He is magnificent. So much thank YOU {Luke 24:6-7}
So (wait—there’s even more awesome) I’m joyfully patiently prayerfully waiting in the parking lot of a retail center, giddy and simple-minded, when the next tow truck driver arrives and asks where to. Now I have heard (from other tow truck drivers) that they are not supposed to go anywhere but A to B – pickup and dropoff. I told him I had to get theKid first and then home and—credit to him— dude didn’t even flinch. No blah, just business … and even more thank You for this day [grins stoopitly].
Got theKid, get home, begin the grind. There is a warranty somewhere and a recall notice arrived some months back and theKid is hungry and the usual shop closes in an hour and Half is ringing the phone and what is that smell and it is what it is and it’s not what it’s not. Screaming doesn’t help.
The brainwhirl stops spinning after a bit, able to get a little situated. I find the warranty paperwork—1,800 miles of coverage left. Ha. Did I say that GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME yes but I can say it again GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME call the warranty people … turns out, coverage is good and warranty people “request” that repairs be done @the dealership. Ha. Call the dealership. Ha. Got an appointment next day. Ha. Dropped truck off. Ha. Enterprise was somewhere in there (they pick you up!), got that right. Ha. Turns out / there was a recall. Ha. Turns out / no charge. Ha. Turns out / reimbursed for rental charges for covered repairs. Ha.
What? See above.
So there’s that. I think total out of pocket comprised late charges for kidcare … did I mention GOD IS GOOD ALL TH TIME this situation worked out to His Glory so complaining about anything would just be … an ungood look, so very not the hot.
Did I mention GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME
How about GOD IS GREAT EVERY DAY … yes that one too
GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME
GOD IS GREAT EVERY DAY
Any questions? Leave a comment! [grins stoopitly]