My Daddy, My Son, My Car Man, and Me: Gifts from my God

Today was the big day—the day to take my twin grandsons fishing! We’d made the plans last minute, so I had worked 24-hours a day (or at least it felt like it) to make it happen.

Well, I woke up this morning at 4:30 AM, raring to go, only to find the east wing of my home was flooded. Without skipping a beat, I jumped up onto the washer; no water. I ran up to the attic; no water. What on earth? I process slow before my coffee. I went to the safe room; yep, the hot water heater had flooded the room. Water was now running through the walls and under the floors. I texted pictures to my son, asking his thoughts.

“Turn off the water supply to the hot water heater,” he exclaimed. 

Duh, I know that. I just wanted him to tell me what to do. Herein lies the title of this story. 

Every now and then, in the middle of a shifting atmosphere, I am reminded that I have people in my life that I trust to just tell me what to do. It takes the load off. It’s nice to relinquish control and let other people take the reins…sometimes.

When I jump into my truck to go get a new hot water heater, I discover the truck sounds like the bottom is falling out. What?! The truck limps along the road; I hope it can make it to Shottenkirk Dealership, where I want to see Mike. I’m still hoping it’s my imagination or that maybe I went 0–60 in 2.5, and a pickup truck just isn’t made for that.

“No ma’am, it’s your bearings,” he says. “I’ll take care of it. Leave it with me and go enjoy your fishing trip with your grandsons.” He hands me the keys to a loaner. My heart feels full. A service manager who understands the importance of a Minnie spending time with her family. Atmosphere changer again! Twice in one day.

I call my daddy to get advice. Do I take these blessings and go on, or do I use them to correct what seem to be major disrupters in my world? 

“Go on,” my daddy says! We will deal with all that when we get back. And then my favorite advice of all time: “It’s all going to be OK.” Somehow, when my daddy who has been fighting off cancer tells me it’s all going to be OK, I believe him. 

So I head home to grab my backpack and go fishing. It’s OK that I got a late start and everyone is already there before me. Maybe God was protecting me from unknowns, or maybe I needed to learn this lesson. I get to sleep in bunk beds with my twin grandsons and talk about life, pray for our futures, and do what this grandma needed to do. Worth every minute.

Leaving the lake, I hook up the jet skis and head home. My heart is full, and yet I hear a voice in my head that says, “It’s time to get back to the real world.” My heart sinks. A flooded house, a broken truck, a ranch and animals suffering from drought. Ugh. It’s crazy how the enemy of our soul tries to steal, kill, and destroy my joy. And I fall for it. 

Uh oh. Every time I fall for the lies, God sends me a foot stomp to remind me what life is all about. 

While I’m driving home, I decide to pull into a gas station. An 18-wheeler is on my tail and apparently doesn’t see me turning; he blasts his horn to tell me to get out of the way. But a man is sitting in his pick-up truck just inside the driveway of the station, and I’m stuck. I motion to him to move, but he just sits there. I freak out and pull in anyway. You can imagine what happens next. Bump.

I jump out to give him a piece of my mind in a very animated way, and he does the same. Before I can say anything, he exclaims, “Oh my gosh! I know you! I see you on social media and follow all your blogs and your outlook on life!”

Bam! God got me. Right then and there. What are the chances I would run into someone who follows me on social media in a strange town at a gas station I’ve never visited? We had a wonderful talk, shook hands, took a selfie, and went on our way. 

“Go on! You can win. I’m at your back,” God whispers to me. Life isn’t about getting somewhere on time, fixing your truck, fixing your flooded house. It’s about relationships—about staying in the moment, enjoying and noticing people, spending time with them, and sharing life with them.

Then I had an epiphany: Because I live alone, am single, and resemble that awful term a self-made woman, I have a tendency to forget that the real world has people who are kind, who love, who need my super power in their life, and who need joy.

That is something I intend to give with all my heart. I will no longer let circumstances deter me from that mission. The enemy overplayed his hand. Rather than succumb to my circumstances, I’ve chosen to use those circumstances to find people. My God, my son, my daddy, and my car man are the catalysts who propelled me forward, once again, to rediscover my purpose: disseminating joy in a world full of distractions. 

Your life contains people who can help you find your purpose as well. Take note. Life is about being, not doing.