Last week was a good week.  For me, it was, anyway.

Without boring the reader to death, let’s just say things went my way.  Tasks were completed without undue stress.  A lovely midweek visit with family, ending with a beautiful fire on the deck (and brats, followed by s’mores!), was one of the high points.

We even made a significant financial decision, the result of which is a shiny, new-to-us vehicle sitting in the drive in front of our house.  I think I’m more excited to get rid of the old car than to have a new one to drive.

We’re making plans for Thanksgiving this week.  It’s always a lovely time, shared with family and friends.  The food is nice, but the company is even nicer.

A good week.

So why can’t I get those folks out of my thoughts?  They had been stuck in the parking lot overnight.  And, I just left them there.

What did you say?

What folks?

Oh.  You can’t read my mind, can you?  You weren’t there.

I’ll try to do better.

On the last day of that good week, the Lovely Lady and I drove through the parking lot of our local grocery store.  It was time to stock up on food for the holiday.  It looked like everyone else had the same idea.  But, something was amiss there.

I saw the old car, thirty years old if it was a day, sitting low and close to the pavement.  Flat tire.  Too bad for them.

But, as we passed on our way to an empty space, I noticed people sitting in the vehicle.  A lady, about middle age, sat behind the wheel.  There was a girl, and a young man in the car, too.

I sent the Lovely Lady on into the store, telling her I’d catch up to her. Stating the obvious, I spoke as I approached the open window on the driver’s side.

“Flat tire?”

The reply came.  “Two, actually.”

Sure enough, both back tires were flat.  The lady had a cell phone in her hand, so I asked if someone was coming to help.  She shook her head, with a discouraged look in her eyes.

“No.  There’s no one to help.  We’ve been here since last night.”

No, there was no spare, either.  I stood for a moment, perplexed.  Then, I bought myself some time.

“I’m going to talk with my wife.  I’ll be back.”

The Lovely Lady had no answers.  I didn’t expect her to.  I just needed time to think. Not that it would do any good on that day.

I decided to call the local tire shop, just down the road.

It was Saturday afternoon.  12:58.  The shop closed at 1:00.  The boss had sent his techs home and couldn’t offer any help.

“But, it’s really nice of you to try to help,” the boss said before hanging up.

I called another shop.  They couldn’t do anything for her, either.

“But, it’s really nice of you to try to help,” the voice on the phone muttered before hanging up.

I don’t want to try to help.  Can you understand that?

The grocery shopping was nearly finished by this time, so I got the Lovely Lady checked out and headed back to the car.  Sending her on to load the bags in the car, I headed over to the old junker.

I apologized that I hadn’t been successful in finding help.  Reaching into my wallet, I pulled out all the bills I had there and shoved them into her hand.  It was not in any sense a significant amount of money, but it was all I had.

“I hope you can find someone who can help you get home.”

The discouraged look didn’t leave her eyes.

“This is our home.  We live in the car.”

Tears come again as I write. I’m not even sure why I’m writing about it.

At home, the tears came on that afternoon too, as I took the packages of food to stow away in the cupboard.  The Lovely Lady was rearranging potatoes and onions on the utility room shelves and probably didn’t see them, but I wiped them away quickly anyway.

The car is their home!  A home with two flat tires.

I look around the home in which we live.  It’s not luxurious—not new—not all that spacious.

But, it’s not sitting in the grocery store parking lot with two flat tires.

I want to feel good.  I wish I could say (with the tire shop folks), “At least I tried.”

The Lovely Lady lovingly reminds me frequently that I can’t fix everything for everyone.  But, she knows me and realizes how it hurts to only try and not succeed.

But, trying is how we make our way—sometimes painfully and with difficulty—to succeeding.  We should keep trying.

And, as folks gather in the living and dining room of this blessed home later this week, I want to remember that old Crown Vic on flat tires and its occupants, as well as all the reasons I have to be thankful personally.

It’s the day when we gather to give thanks.

I trust in the midst of our celebration, there’s just one more thing we’ll remember to do.

Give, thanks.

.

“And do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.”
(Hebrews 13:16, NET)

“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.”
(John Bunyan)

 

© Paul Phillips. He’s Taken Leave. 2023. All Rights Reserved.