7/24/2009

Life is certainly never dull around here....

I know I have mentioned on here how MUCH I love the people in my church and how amazing my friends are so I have to share this week with ya....
Wednesday I was supposed to meet a friend for lunch and shopping when I was hit turning onto her street. The girl that hit me was a 17yo unlicensed driver and was driving a minivan. She hit the rear of my car going about 50mph spinning my car out of control. I only stopped when the rear of my car hit a curb and I lost a tire. I was terrified. Honestly I didn't even know what to do so I found my cell and hit last call. I left a crazy message with a friend saying I was in an accident. Anyway, we ended up talking and I told her what happened...in a confused daze..the poor thing! lol The girl I was going to see came running and her neighbor I AM (not) - Natalie Witcher showed up. My other friend, Merci, lived two streets over so she was there also. By the time the fire dept got me out and the ambulance took me to the hospital I had a whole bunch of people praying!! Prayer works people!! I was in the ER surrounded by love. This was written by one of the men in the church about the incident.
Spontaneous Expressions of Community
I saw an example of community yesterday. One of the ladies of our church was involved in a car accident and was taken by ambulance to the emergency room. We got word at the church of the accident, and I went quickly to see about her. When I got there, four women, three of whom were from our church, were already there. They were large and in charge. They were friends of the injured lady and were there, crying, laughing, and talking, but mostly caring.I was completely unnecessary, and it was awesome.No one was waiting for a pastor to appear to determine if anyone cared. No one waited for a career minister to pray and to begin to meet needs. No program was alerted. Women who have developed close relationship through fellowship and discipleship were displaying community without a conscious thought. When the doctor delivered the prognosis of lots of soreness but nothing broken, the ladies had a plan to take her home, see to her children's needs, prepare food, and help with any other issues that would arrive until insurance kicked in.You ladies already know who you are and you are awesome. I was completely impressed and blessed by your spontaneous expression of community in the emergency room yesterday. Bravo to you all.
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That is the love I was shown. The friend I called on the phone is very dear to me and she went to tell my children what happened and take them to her house to swim. I knew she would keep them calm and when it happened all I wanted was for someone to get my children. Lots of things go through your head in an accident. When I left the ER one person brought me home, one shopped for groceries, one picked up my meds and there were people in place to take my kids to church. It was amazing. I was still sick from the meds and trauma so one of the ladies stayed with me so I wasn't alone. Today I had a migraine from the neck spasms so I was taken back to the hospital for different drugs and more tests...again people were just there and my kids were taken care of! Meals are in place, people are here and mostly importantly people are praying. I don't know what I am going to do about another car but I am sure God has a plan. He is taking care of me through His people right now so there is no room for doubt:-) I am sure God is smiling down on His people right now because THIS is the body of Christ in action. This is love people...this is ministry! And I am so blessed to be a part of it...so blessed.

7/07/2009

Sooooo it started like any other week....

This so wasn't funny at the time but I guess I have to find the humor in everything...I can laugh today but last week NOT. SO. MUCH! So it starts out like most and that is with me having a very full week... I love hanging out with friends and I don't care if we are just running errands I enjoy them a LOT:-) So Monday morn I dropped off my middle child at camp and I notice one of the ladies looked overwhelmed. I quickly remembered that her dh is in the military and away right now...oh and this is how single I am!!! I was thinking how hard it must be for her while he is away with all of those kids! lol like *I* had some man to help me lol Soooo we decide to do coffee and I am going to see what I can do to fix this...I am a fixer...she is young but has a problem with her hips so yardwork is painful for her.... so YAY I can fix this!! I LOVE mowing!! on the way back to her house the waterpump in her van goes out...she is having a bad day! So I start on the yard....It was getting late by the time we finished so we decided to make a night of it and have a slumber party! She has an Emily that is MY Emily's age so we ate and watched movies till all hours of the night. The next day I left and went to lunch with another friend and the week still seemed to be going well...I was SO SORE from the yard but it was all good. Wednesday morning I decide we need an oil change and it is ladies day so I go...when it came time to restart my car it wouldn't start. In the bay!! All of these men are looking at me and I am thinking WTHeck lol It was running fine just a minute ago! Finally I get it started and I drive to autozone to have them run a check. In my head it sounded like the alternator. It tested with bad diodes but we couldn't test the starter since the car was having issues starting. Once I got it started I went straight home and got the Explorer...oh wait did I tell ya'll my car was hit the week before? Instead of getting a rental and costing the insurance company I used my friends Explorer that I quickly named Dora.. They had left town so I still had it and I tm'd my friend and told her I was going to use it to pick up a new alternator to put in my car. Yes I said *I* was going to put it in. I also had to squeeze in a Dr appt and ice cream cuz I bribed myself to go lol...then I came home and tm'd my youth pastor to tell him I wouldn't be at church and arrange rides for my kids who do NOT understand missing church!...I put it in and all is well except the car is now CLICKING...ok THAT sound is the starter! Dangit!! BUT the alternator had bad diodes so HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT BOTH WENT OUT? Apparently it IS because they DID! TOGETHER! I am NOT getting under the car with MY jack in my slanted driveway so I get my neighbor and we negotiate a price. After he takes out the starter we take it to get a new one and I make them test BOTH of the ones that were just removed and they really were both bad! Only ME lol So he puts the starter in and we go for a test drive...only NOW my battery light is glowing. Not good. So Thursday morn I drive back to Pep Boys (I bought one part at AZ and one at PB) and they test the car. The alternator I JUST PUT IN wasn't good!! So I do what any grown up does...I cry...in the middle of Pep Boys because I AM A GIRL lol Actually that is what I said. My friend tm me about something totally different and I tell her I am crying in PB. Sooo her dh calls me and asks what he can do to fix this...I tell him NOTHING will fix the fact that I once again have to remove and put in an alternator. He offers to pay them or do it himself cuz my friends are awesome like that but I say no because I am stubborn like that;-) I tell him to make yesterday go away and he totally makes me laugh because he started praying for the day before to disappear....I finish my breakdown and Pep Boys offers to go get another one from another store for ME to put in again. I am not happy but what can I do?? My friends dh offers to put it in that night but I figured I can do it even if I didn't want to. I just need to suck it up and deal. I go home and decide that if I HAVE to do it I am not only going to put it in but I will cook dinner at the same time...yes, that was my fit lol So I do both and when I start it up the battery light is blinking...okay that isn't any better!! So now I realize I am going to miss the Bible study that night because I have to figure this out...not happy! I take it BACK to PB and they run a test again and this time they decide the regulator in the alternator is bad...AGAIN I have a bad alternator!! AGAIN I have to change it!! No tears this time because now it doesn't seem real. How is this possible?? My friend tm me to let me know her dh will put it in at 7pm and I tell her that I already did and it is BAD! AGAIN!! She tells me to park my car and we will go eat Thai food lol Food makes everything better:-) PB agrees that they will get me a part on Friday and THEY will put it in...so with that and dinner with someone that makes me laugh I am ok:-) God is good and He always puts the right people in my life even if they lecture me about not accepting help. Friday morning I call PB and ask what time is a good time because I have a party to attend that evening. They have now changed their mind and decide to give me my money back...which means I will STILL have to go buy another alternator and put it in MYSELF. AND since they were the cheapest this was now going to cost me MORE money! I had already spent close to $500 by this time!! I ask him what changed and he gives me some story about how he believes it is my pigtail...I think he was surprised that I knew what that was and I ask him how I could have 3 different problems that were NOT related to the CONNECTOR?!! he starts talking over me and I shut down and tell him I will call him back...really what I meant was I will find a man to call you and make you do what you said lol UGH nobody is home so I have to do this myself. I do NOT do confrontation well! I drove up there and had to find a voice that I really don't have. I kept telling them to quit talking to me like I was some girl when the day before I stood there crying telling them I was a girl lol BUT I was NOT being unreasonable so after they realized I was not backing down they agreed to put in a new alternator. This one works:-) Sooo after many hours, several hundred dollars, a new starter and 3 alternators later my car is working! So what could I possibly find to be thankful in this story???

I totally forgot I was single when I offered to help someone else since their dh was gone...when you get outside yourself to help others you forget where you are at!! I was thinking how could she do it when I forgot *I do it everyday alone...well, not alone but without a man:-)
physically I am still able to do things like yard work...
it did cost me almost $500 BUT I HAD IT which is nothing short of a miracle since my ex owes me almost $4000.
I could actually do the repair myself and I didn't even charge myself labor:-)
My neighbor was reasonable with his labor cost for the starter.
I had another vehicle to drive so I was never stranded.
I found out I can demand something without being rude. I do have a voice.
I have wonderful friends that could make me laugh in the middle of it all.
I missed the Bible study but two of the women stopped by that night and brought me coffee and sang to me:-)
I know that I truly AM blessed and although none of what happened was ideal... I am ok. It wasn't easy and I did fall apart..in the middle of a pep boys!!! BUT I am human...I have emotions and I guess it is ok to use them lol
I am a work in progress but at least I haven't stopped trying:-)

I AM a child of God and I am ALWAYS thankful for that!
My kids are the most amazing kids on the earth and I wouldn't trade them for anything. My oldest son even gave me a pep talk about how God always takes care of us while I was choking back tears. My middle one came home from camp on Friday and made the whole situation funny by making fun of me crying lol He is soooo funny!!! And my baby girl is just so responsible that she made sure things were getting done while I played mechanic:-) Seee I AM blessed if I just don't focus on the bad stuff!