Last night I ran by Starbucks on north Lancaster to get drinks for myself and my friend who was going to look over my taxes. Driving to the tax office with the drinks in a holder beside me, the two women in the car next to mine grabbed my attention while waiting at a stop light and shouted to me, "Your car is on fire!" I had noticed the car was dragging a lot but as I knew it was getting fixed soon and I had been told not to worry too much, I was trying to make it to my destination. Car burning with flames coming out the wheel, I pulled over into an Asian mart as soon as I could which was soon taken over by a crazy woman with crazy hair screaming, "Help! Help! Help! My car is on fire! Get the fire extinguisher!" When the man was done extinguishing the car, the parking lot and my car was covered in white.
Having a level head, I called the tax office first to tell them I would be a little late. :) A young man and the store owner then pushed my car back to another spot where I could leave it for a bit. The young man gave me a ride to the tax office where I spoke with Carry, the man who fixes my car, about what happened. Taxes approved and a big hug from said friend, my dad picked me up and still level headed, I got my glasses fixed at Binyons before they closed. Errands done, we then went back to the mart where Jeff, the tow-truck driver met us. As he loaded the car onto his truck, which he did in a remarkably short amount of time, I looked up at the moon. You can imagine I was bit stressed. I have never seen flames coming from my car and I NEVER want to see them again. (I am now thinking I need to have a fire extinguisher in my car.) Having my dad with me really helped but the stress of these last few months... I don't know how I am dealing with it- whether I am in denial, have gotten used to it, or am just shoving it down inside. I think it's a combination of all three but a lot of the last one. But I am standing there in the dark looking at this nearly full moon and it's beautiful. I imagine it's shining on a river, the moon light reflecting through the trees onto the water and it's quiet except for the soft rush of the river and the breeze through the trees. The image gave me peace, a calm center, while we got the car over to Carry's house and then as my dad drove me home. (Don't you just love Dads?)
The car will actually be just fine. It's needs some parts obviously. I'm getting a rental car tomorrow morning so it should all work out. It does make for a good story. It only really affected the brake system. Carry is still going to look over the car for me and see if there is anything else while he has it.
Remembering that picture of the river helped me a lot because I remembered there is a lot bigger world than mine. That I am connected to something deep and true, something beautiful and eternal. My problem seemed so little, so fleeting, and I am so grateful to God who provided for me in so many ways last night.
God, thank you for protecting me and for protecting my car. Thank you for the love you give every day of my life, for being there for me and giving me what I need when I need it. I am most grateful.
Tomorrow I get to be in a beautiful library and I am so excited. It's much quieter than my life and though I have to bring my life with me and work on some things between inventorying the books, I will get to bring my life to the quiet and to hear what it says, what I say and haven't been listening to, and what God wants to say that I have not heard.
365-09 #98Labels: 365-09 Challenge, God