Blessings of a Blown Tire

From the moment I left First Presbyterian Church in Montrose on Monday, August 27 after the Committee on Ministry meeting, until I hit mile marker 31 some 61/2 hours later, I felt like good ole Charlie Brown.  It seemed I had a black rain cloud only over my head – Good Grief!  But you know what, in all that grief, I couldn’t help but thank the Lord.

As I pulled out of 1st Pres., my car felt funny.  I no sooner made it to the main road when I could hardly steer it anymore.  I pulled into a parking lot and found my left-front tire was completely blown out.

Rats! I pulled out the jack and the tire iron and went to work.  The lugs came right off.  The car jacked up beautifully.  And the tire was stuck solid tight.  A Good Samaritan and I worked on it and were forced to give up.

I call my USAA roadside assistance for help.  Assured of a mechanic in just a few minutes I waited and waited and waited.  Then he pulled up in an old Mercedes Benz.  He said he wouldn’t need his tools.  Well guess what, he couldn’t get the tire off either.  Just when he was about to go back for his truck, the tire popped off.

The spare was low on air.

The mechanic followed me to Big O tire in Montrose, actually about a half mile from where I turned off.  A kid who must have been in his early twenties waited on me.  He looked about 17 and seemed even younger as he told me off.  “You shouldn’t be too mad, look at how bald all your tires are.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.”

I asked him for four mid-grade all-weather tires that came with a rebate.  He had three in the brand I wanted.  So we went with four from a Japanese company I never heard of, but have 100,000 mile guarantee and came with a sizable rebate.  Then the youngster said, “We are backed up two hours, but don’t worry, we will get you out by the time we close at 6:00.”

O heavens, 6:00!  That would get me driving in the dark.  I don’t see as well as most people in the dark.  Almost the moment he said the above, the rain clouds rolled into Montrose.

I decided I needed a walk.  I gave him my cell phone number and took off down the road.  It was a nice walk.  I included the Russell Stover’s store, because I knew it would be cool in there, and Home Depot, because it is really interesting in there.

I arrived back at Big O at 3:45 ready to wait, and found my car was already on the rack.  The boys got me out of there at 4:15.  I would get home in sunlight.  Well, maybe not.  It started to rain as I left Montrose and thunderstorms followed me all the way.  Flash!  Crack!  Buckets of Rain!

It all stopped at about mile marker 31 on highway 145.  It turned out to be a loooooong day.

You know, though I couldn’t help but thank God for the blessings I kept seeing through that black old cloud.  I blew out in Montrose only a few blocks from Big O.  I could have had a problem on Lizardhead Pass. A very nice man tried to help.  The mechanic was also very nice and he did a great job getting that tire off.  I caught a sale on four beautiful brand new tires rather than paying the long “out of towner” price.  I enjoyed Russell Stover’s and even had the strength to avoid the free samples.

In the rain coming home, I felt like Jimmie Johnson with four new “tairyers” (that would be tires to non-NASCAR fans).  I zipped along and loving it.  If I had been on the baldies, I would have skidded and slid and heaven knows what.

By the end of that long day, I wasn’t really good ole Charlie Brown.  I was still Steve, a grateful child of God.  I encourage anyone going through “stuff” to look the blessings even in the midst of it all and shout out with the Apostle, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” – Ephesians 1:3

Steve Nofel
October 17, 2012
 

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