My sweet babies made me feel extra special today by sleeping in, which meant that I also got to sleep in... till almost 9:00! Then we went on a birthday hike with my wonderful sister and her kids before they drove back to Utah. It was a lovely hike (I'll post photos later). We all hugged goodbye and she took off on her journey and I took off on a few errands before returning home--get gas, pick up some coupons, and pick up a few groceries. About a mile and a half from the gas station, my car kind of started to cough. "Oh, no," I thought, "I couldn't be out of gas!" My car can go 400 miles on a full tank and it had only gone 295. "Please help us to arrive at the gas station safely," I prayed. The light in front of me turned red; I had to stop, and when I did, that was all she wrote. I couldn't even pull over to the side (although I'd at least had the foresight to pull into the right lane).
There I was on a busy street with my two little kids, far from any gas station. I turned on my hazards and started pulling my kids out of the car. Nobody stopped to see if I needed help. I had no phone, knew nobody in the area (within walking distance), and had no phone numbers for anyone who could possibly help. Pip was in the backpack and Squeak was in the stroller, and I was about to head to the closest house and beg for some help when a stranger stopped. "Ma'am, will your car move if you put it in neutral and I push it?" Then another stranger stopped and offered to help push. I steered, and they got my car off the busy street. "Do you have a phone?" they asked. "No," I replied, "And I'm kind of embarrassed to say this, but I think I ran out of gas." Stranger number two said, "I live right around the corner. I've got a gas can in my garage and I'll bring you whatever's in it." He returned in no time at all and gave me enough gas to get me to the gas station. He told me if I needed anything else, his house was around the corner and his wife was there and could help me. They were both on their way somewhere, so they took off.
I thought, as I drove (safely) into the gas station, that my prayer had been answered in such an odd way. Yes, I ran out of gas in the middle of a busy street. But two strangers, both busy and both on their way to something important, had helped me arrive safely. It totally made my day!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
What a blessing. i am always reminded of a stranger who stopped to help me when i was stranded on a road between spokane and moscow. we had just moved to moscow 2 days earlier and knew no one. he helped me get my busted tire off and then when we found out the spare was flat he took it to another town(like 20 min.) to get fixed and brought it back. i am so greatful when nice people take time for others. happy b-day to you!! at least you had a few silver linings in your day..love ya!
T, I'm really glad you and the kids are safe. That was very nice of those guys to be the answer to your prayers!
I hope you have had a nice birthday, the hike sounds very fun, especially with your sister.
Have many more happy birthdays in the future!!! Sincerely, Julie
Happy Birthday Good Friend! All I have to say, is way to have another birthday full of adventure and mischeif. It wouldn't be YOUR birthday if you didn't have some wild and crazy story to go with it. I love it. I was going through mission pictures the other day and saw the one where you set fire to the church "lawn." I was laughing so hard that I couldn't explain it. We need to get together someday!
Thanks for your birthday wishes, my friends!
So, Darci, I'm going to have to see that photo your talking about, because I honestly have no recollection of the "incident"! How's that for selective memory loss??
Post a Comment