Being Blessed

Warning!! No pictures...and a very long story.

Just telling you how we spent the holidays Being Blessed.

Thanksgiving day was a sweet day of family and extended family at our oldest son's house.

Our two oldest sons and their wives and kids, and one of my DIL's parents and Mr. SS and I

shared a relaxing day and a good meal.

Our youngest son and family went north to visit his wife's sister. We missed them, but I know I have to share. I am so blessed to get to be with them all on most holidays.

Friday morning Mr. SS and I loaded up the little blue and white trailer and took off for a little RV park close to the central coast of California. We had such fun plans:

Visiting friends

Golf for Mr. SS

Shopping for me

Visiting my favorite beach to wiggle my toes in the sand

More shopping at two fresh produce barns for me

(a lot for me, huh)

Breakfast before leaving for home at our favorite Apple Farm in San Luis Obispo

Isn't it funny that when you think you have laid out the best plans and know just how your weekend is going to go, God has a way of saying "Whoa there...I have something else in mind"

As we were backing into our space at the RV park, I was behind the trailer with my new iphone at my ear, saying "Cut a little more to the right" and noticed the left rear wheel was tilting in a strange way. As I am practically standing on my head to see just what was going on, Mr SS said into his iphone, "Something is wrong with that wheel. He started to pull forward and it practically fell off taking the fender with it.

The wheel had come off the hub, leaving the pins and lug nuts attached to the drum. The holes where the nuts had worked their way through were huge and all dented up. We had never seen anything like it.

While Mr. SS was pacing around the trailer trying to decide what to do, I sat down at the picnic table put my head down and thanked God for keeping us safe on that 100mile plus curvy road between Bakersfield and Santa Maria. We knew only He could have kept that wheel from coming off before we were safely in the park.

Mr. SS said we have to find a place to get a new wheel and probably replace the drum too. We somehow got the trailer off the road and into our space and took off for our friend's house that live in Grover Beach.

We knew he would probably have the tools to get the drum off and know where we could go for parts.

He told us several places and we spent the day calling and driving around only to find every thing closed because of the holiday. 

On Saturday, Mr. SS started calling again and even called places in Bakersfield he knew about, but no luck...everything closed for the holiday.

About noon we came out of the trailer to take pictures, so we could go back to our friends to get the right size tools to take the hub off and a young man came over and asked if we need help.

YES!! we said. He said he was a mechanic and does just this type of work, and has the tools to remove the hub to see what damage was done.  He works out of a little trailer they pull with their motorhome. His wife was a traveling nurse and he said he just likes to help out people in the parks where they stay.

WOW!!

When I asked how he knew we needed help, he said the man who lives at the end of the park near the off ramp to the park, heard a terrible noise coming from our rig and told him that something was wrong with our truck or trailer.

Again...WOW!!

And again, I prayed and thanked God for sending not only someone to help us, but someone to tell him we needed help. I know that  for certain.

He pounded out  one of the pins and lug nuts and repacked (whatever that means) the drum. He gave Mr. SS the pin and said see if you can find 6 of these. Well, he didn't know the area well enough to tell us where to go, so back to our friends in Grover Beach we went.

They suggested Quest Auto supply in Grover Beach and took Mr.SS there. They didn't have them, but the Quest just down the street from where we were staying did. As simple as that we got them and took them back to our new best friend "John".

Saturday during all of this, I get a call from a friend. She shared some news about her and her family that was pretty remarkable. Then she asked if I was sitting down and told me she was celebrating Christmas this year.  This is a dear friend who had never celebrated a holiday in her life...

I gently asked her if she was celebrating the commercial holiday or the birth of Christ. She told me she was celebrating the birth of Christ and the amazing truth that he had died on the cross for her.

I have known this friend for 45 years and have never heard these words from her.  After a long conversation with her, I got off the phone and you guessed it...was on my knees again, thanking God for this miracle in my friend.

Sunday morning at 8:00 John was at our door and fixed the drum. He put the spare tire on and checked all the other tires to make sure they were safe. He even showed Mr. SS how to "pack" the drums and a few other things that he could do and we were good to go.

On the way back to Bakersfield this afternoon, Mr. SS and I talked about the great holiday we had just had.

It wasn't the weekend we had planned, but it was so much better.

In fact, it couln't have been any better.

We both just kept thanking the Lord and saying. "Wasn't it just the best THANKSgiving ever?"

Oh, and I forgot to tell you. Our new friend John wouldn't take any money for all he had done. We insisted he  take it in the end,  but he let us know he just loves helping people out.

Do you want to know what my devotion for Saturday was?

It's from Jesus Calling: A 365 Day Journal

by Sarah Young

"I have instructed you to give thanks for everything. There is an element of mystery in the transaction: You give me thanks (regardless of your feelings), and I give you joy (regardless of your circumstances)."

I am so full of JOY!!

and that is why I always say,

God is Good!!

Life is Good!!