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Whew! The last couple of days have been a doozey, as my grandmother would say. I thought I’d spend this holiday weekend taking long naps, eating good food, and drinking cocktails by the pool; but as they say, if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans.
I’ve been up since 4:15 with a nasty stress-induced neck sprain and racing mind that won’t let me sleep.
After an emotional trip to the hospital yesterday afternoon, Chad and I came home and caught up on some neglected housekeeping. It was much needed; I was on the verge of nominating myself for Clean House for all the mayhem and foolishness {oh!}. By the time we were done, the last thing we wanted to do was make dinner and re-clean the kitchen, so we ordered a pizza and I went out to pick it up. I made a pit stop at the drug store for the eyeliner that TiffanyD uses in this makeup tutorial that I’m dying to try, and when I got back in my car, it wouldn’t start.
Frustrated and completely drained from the previous 48 hours, I dug around in my purse for my phone and realized I’d left it at home {figures}.
Here’s a tip: Make a list of emergency contacts and cell phone numbers and keep it in your car or your wallet. If you’re like me, you don’t have any phone numbers memorized when you need them.
I could remember two numbers: Chad, and my parents. I went back into the drug store and called Chad over and over, and finally left a desperate message with a pitiful plea to come and rescue me. I tried my parents at home, but I’d just spoken to my mom shortly before leaving and they were headed back from a shopping trip about 30 minutes away and hadn’t made it home yet.
I decided I’d hang out in my car for a bit and wait it out until Chad eventually realized that it shouldn’t take an hour to pick up pizza a mile away and check his phone. There was a wine bar right across the street, so if push came to shove, I figured I’d sit it out over a glass of merlot and make some new friends.
I read my car manual for about 30 minutes, and then went back inside for a last-stitch effort to catch my parents. My mom answered {relief!} and said my step-dad was on his way. As I walked back out to my car to wait for him, Chad was in the front seat {double relief!}. His phone had been on silent, and just as I’d hoped, he’d started to wonder about my whereabouts and finally got my message.
Long story short (and boring mechanic details aside), my battery is dead and a pizza pick up turned into a nearly two-hour trip. When I schlepped into the house, exhausted and having a total pity party, I logged on to facebook on my phone to update my status with a post about my terrible day. And then I saw an update from friends that their baby was delivered that afternoon, three months earlier than expected. They said: “He has many, many obstacles ahead of him but God is good and He has done greater things than this. Please pray for his health and strength, please pray for grace and peace as we wait to see how he will do over the course of the next few days.”
Perspective. Suddenly the day I had didn’t seem nearly as tough. I’m so grateful for all of the blessings God has given me; for a healthy family, a beautiful home, a successful career, and a myriad of other things that I so often take for granted. Sometimes I think it takes a kick-in-the-pants reminder of the importance of love and family, and I’m feeling it this weekend.
Please say a little prayer for this precious new baby boy and his parents this weekend, and if you haven’t yet, call your grandmother, too.
>Aw, I'm so sorry you've had such a tough week. I hope this week will be much better. Like Fashion Butter said, hang in there! You, your grandma and your friends will be in my thoughts, as well. love & hugs
>Phew! Hang in there girl. I hope at least the pizza was yummy. :) Your friends are in my thoughts. :)
>It can definitely be frustrating to walk out to your car and not have it start. We've had to call AAA three times in the past four months (it's not the battery and the mechanic can't find a problem with anything else). But I'm glad that you found some perspective. I'll be praying for your friends and their baby.
>I know J&M as well, and their hope during this time is something to see. We are all rooting for them and their boy. Love your blog! You are a great writer and, thanks to you, Target is a little richer as I just had to go buy wedges for the summer.
>Oh goodness. What a bad, bad couple of days you've had. You're entitled to be emotionally exhausted and feel a little bit bad. But I love that you've accepted a different perspective. I will pray for your friends and their baby. Thanks for putting things into perspective for me.