You Learn Something New Everyday

Okay... is anyone having car trouble today? Because I bet I could help you jump start your car!

Seriously.

Back at the end of January, I posted about how I was in the car with my family and we broke down at the gas station. We sat there for 30 minutes and I was so touched by the kindness of the people there. So willing to help! Finally, my uncle arrived and they jump started the car.

Stuff like this doesn't happen all the time, right?

Wrong!

Today, we were having a small family gathering at my house. My grandpa had left the house, but he came right back in to tell us his car wasn't working. My dad went out to help him, and I so did I {not that I could be of any assistance, really. I just wanted to be "in the loop" with what was going on. }

It turns out, I was able to be of assistance! I had to hold these 2 cords apart while my Dad connected them to the his car. Then he took the ends I was holding and put them on my grandpa's truck battery {I guess}. They got the truck working again so of grandpa left for home, which is only about a mile away.

5 minutes later, we got a call from him saying that he went to get gas and his truck wouldn't start again. We drove over to the gas station and did the whole jump starting process again. At 10:00pm!

We finally got my grandpa and his truck safely home. On the short drive back home, I made it clear just HOW car illiterate I really am {Laugh if you want}!

Me: I thought jump starting was illegal!

Dad: No, that's hot wiring.

Me: Well, what the difference?

Dad: Hot wiring is where you mix up the wires and reconnect them {something like that} to get the car started.

Me: Why is that illegal?

Dad: Because you only need to do it if you are stealing a car.

It went on like that, with my questioning him about the difference between hot wiring and jump starting. I even came up with good uses for hot wiring, besides a burglary. So yes, apparently jump starting is perfectly legal and totally different than hot wiring. Who knew?

You learn something new everyday.

How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it...

I had planned to post about something completely different today, but what do you know? God had different ideas.

My family and I were on our way back home from getting some groceries from Kroger. We decided to stop for gas at the Kroger gas station. We filled up the tank, but when my dad put the key in the ignition and turned, we did not get what we expected. A strange noise came out of our truck. No matter what we did, the truck would not start. We were officially stuck in front of a gas station pump.

We sat in the truck contemplating what to do for a few minutes. We did not know what the problem was, how to fix it, who to call, etc. The kind gas station attendant, bless her heart, came out to us and asked us what we needed. She said to my father, " Is it something you can fix yourself? If it is, you can take my car to go get what you need." I was so shocked by that! Such a random act of kindness. She was offering us, a couple of random strangers with car trouble, her VEHICLE to go driving off to the car shop. I can't think of a single other person, besides family and friends of course, that would just offer a "stranger in need" their car out of the kindness of their heart.

We didn't really know what the problem was, so we decided to wait it out. This one woman who was just getting some gas happened to overhear about our trouble. She went over and informed the gas station attendant that her husband was a mechanic. What luck! He wasn't with her, but she called him and then gave the gas station attendant some suggestions as for what we should do. There I was, pacing around the gas station in all my winter gear, thinking, "Oh, how blessed we are to have so many people caring about us! God is good!" My aunt and uncle came over to the gas station shortly after this, and we jump started our truck. While we were hooking up all the wires to jump start the car, my mom commented that she hoped it worked because we were blocking the gas pump. That same attendant replied with, " Oh we aren't worried about that." I was just so touched by her helpful spirit. She didn't care that we were blocking the gas pump; she genuinely just cared that we could get our car started up again.

We got the car started and drove straight over to Wal-mart where they replaced our battery for us. After that, we were on our way home again in our just-like-new truck. It wasn't a big event, but sometimes its the little things that really matter.

"Do something wonderful, people may imitate it." -Albert Schweitzer

In a way, I feel like our car battery dying was a good thing. Everything happens for a reason right? I believe it was meant to be. God led us to the gas station so that we could be touched by the kindness of that attendant and that mechanics wife. I never did catch their names, but they still deserve to be recognized. God is just amazing. He gets us through every situation, and more than that, he helps us to realize the importance of something else. The importance of Kindness was made so evident by God in my adventure today. You are never in too much of a time crunch to stop and help someone out. Show kindness, and you will be repaid. I'm not sure how yet, but I do want to repay those lovely people for their kindness.

"Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can change someone else's life forever." - Margaret Cho

Make a point to thank God for all those who have shown kindness to you. Kindness really is a virtue. Remember, God IS there, and he answers our prayers in simple ways like that. Pray, and be thankful!

God Bless,

Sydney

"Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you." -Ephesians 4:32.