I've been thinking a lot about this last weekend and our little "adventure" on this side of the road. Even though it was pretty inconvenient, it could have been much worse. There were several blessings that made it bearable.
First, our cell phone battery had been dying quite frequently. Even newly charged, it would only last a few hours before dying again. This could have been a real problem, BUT I had just replaced the cell battery with a brand new one the very day before our trip to Cedar Point, so we had a phone to call for help.
Second, I usually measure out the exact amount of baby formula Hannah will need for an outing into a seperate container so that I don't have to lug around the BIG Costco-sized can! On Saturday morning, I did my usual measuring out of the formula, but then, for no real reason, on my way out the door, I grabbed the whole can too. If I hadn't brought the whole can, I would have had nothing to feed Hannah for hours!
Third, we have been blessed with amazing friends who were willing to drive over an hour away at 3:30am to pick us up! (We love you, SHUPES!) I never really worried about finding someone to pick us up, because even if we couldn't reach the Shupes, I knew there was whole ward directory full of wonderful people who would drop everything and come to help if they could (several with minivans too - hahaha)! I worried more about waking those good people up in the middle of the night!
A few months ago, some neighbors of ours had a car accident and called us for help. When I arrived and they thanked me, I said, "I'm just glad you thought of us." Their response was, "Well, all our family is out of state, so really we don't know anyone else to call." That was such a shocker to me, because as a member of the Church, I guess I'd always taken for granted the blessing of having such a strong support system around me, no matter where I go.
I feel so humbled and grateful for these and several other blessing and miracles that I benefit from every day. I don't alway deserve them and I may not always notice them, but somehow Heavenly Father sees fit to bless me with them anyway.
5 comments:
I think I was 12 or 13 when my family got our first cell phone (I'm 28 now) because of a scenario very similar to yours. My mom and I, with my two younger siblings, ran out of gas on the freeway in southern California around 9:00 one night. My dad had a job at the time that had a 2 hour commute, so he stayed several nights a week at a company apartment out in the desert. This particular night, no one was expecting us home. We ran out of gas, and sat on the side of the road with our hazard lights on for hours. A California Highway Patrolman finally stopped around 3:00 in the morning, and radioed for a tow truck. We found out (after he charged us back up and gave a can's worth of gas) that we were less than 1/4 mile from the next exit, with a gas station at the end of it. It was just around a curve.
You can call us in the middle of the night whenever you need to...we just don't have a minivan.
It's funny how such insignificant things are actually blessings in disguise. I know how you feel about the formula thing. When I am out all day long with my newborns, I always feel like premeasured amounts are never enough. I'm glad you grabbed the can too! Anyway, if you ever need a ride in the middle of the night, we are more than happy to accomodate :)
How did you guys get your posts to appear on your blog? I have been trying to figure that one out. Let me know. Thanks
Summer! I found your blog via another blog. This is Bethany Bennett Stimpson from Jr. High and High School. Anyway, I love you blog. Your kids are really cute and I'm glad that everything is going well for you.
I am so glad the shupes were thier for you. Just so you know the Burninghams would do the same thing for you! I am glad that you are always so positive you are amazing summer!
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