I'll tell the world

How often do you have an emotional telephone conversation with your mechanic? A man you have never met. It doesn't happen very often for me, that's for sure. But, today, it did.

So ... I told you about my car breaking down on me a couple of days ago. You read my fury and frustration. I failed.

Last night we finally got the car towed to the garage and this afternoon, the manager called me. We spoke for a few minutes and then he said, "You are a very, very lucky girl."

He went on to explain that two bolts had come out of the caliper on the front left brake. They were messing with the tire, which was my problem. Ok. That's fine. I am lucky. This happened now and not in a month while I was on vacation.

And he said, "No. You're right, but that's not what I'm talking about. We found another problem." Now, before you all start telling me about dishonest mechanics - this is not who this garage is. These guys are people I trust and they're good. Their prices are more than reasonable, in fact, generally 25-30 percent lower than anyone else. At least. I've experienced a 50% difference at times.

I asked, "What was the problem."

"Diane, the tie rod on your steering was loose. It could have come off at any time and you would have been without steering capability. It would have been like steering a child's toy. The car would have been going on it's own and you would have had no control."

He repeated. "You were very lucky."

I said, "God was watching out for me and everyone else on the road."

He chuckled a little. "Yes, I think He was."

I repeated, "No, I'm pretty sure that I was in God's hands through that entire thing. He stopped the car before trouble could happen."

He chuckled again. "I believe you are right. It's a good thing you have a great relationship with Him."

At that point, I was hit by what this guy was saying to me. And I started to cry. I don't know if he heard the emotion in my voice, but he told me that they would get parts tomorrow and would get things all fixed up.

We talked about a couple of other things - I wanted to ensure they looked everything over before I took the car to Arizona in October. Then we closed. I said "Thank you." He repeated. "It might not have been luck, but this week you were a very lucky girl."

I am! And not only that, but today, I'm a thankful girl. Very thankful that nothing happened where I could have hurt someone else with my vehicle and very thankful that the problem was caught by someone who could fix it. I certainly don't mind telling him that I have a God in heaven watching out for me.

**POSTSCRIPT. It doesn't escape my notice that I was furious on Tuesday evening about the annoyance of all of this in my world. I imagine God listening to me complain and whine about the whole thing and wanting to pop me on the head, saying, "When will you understand that I see the big picture and your narrow little mind only sees the moment?"

He is God and I am not. Thank you, Lord!