Gratitude Update

Just in case I wasn't grateful enough for where God let the car conk out...

The mechanic called with an update and an estimate. They checked to see if they could just replace the outer part of the tie rod. Turns out the nut that should have been flush to the wheel was loose, allowing the rod to vibrate, so both the inner and outer threads were completely wiped out, and rusted. The right side tie rod and wheel are nice and tight, fortunately.

After telling Henry the history of the car, he's quite confident that the nut wasn't tightened well after I had new shocks and struts put back in a second time in early 2006 by a place in Redlands (a convenient place near my old office). They were put in a second time because the first time they did it, they used the wrong size struts and stretched my brake lines like violin strings over them. About five days after the work, after a couple trips up and down the hill and around the mountain, my brakes went completely out...blessedly and amazingly in my boss's driveway after a very late night drive home from Ontario Airport. That was car Miracle Number One after the shoddy work; my own mechanic in Lake Arrowhead was furious when he figured out what had happened at this other place down the hill, made it a point to tell me how incredibly fortunate I was, and told me to go confront the other guys and have them redo the work with the right parts. And, specifically, tell them from him, "They're lukcy they're not paying your funeral costs."

After having them fix it, Miracle Number Two happened today, in my mechanic's driveway. And this very kind, diligent mechanic, when he called with the update, said specifically, "I still can't believe this happened where it did, right here. If you had been on the freeway, Kathie, I can't even...I just...I don't even want to tell you."

I can't help but think that not only was I safe, but a passenger each time was safe, and other people on the road weren't hurt by a fast-moving car that suddenly could not steer.

I drove the loaner car home very carefully tonight. It's been a full week of being reminded that human control over our world is a fallacy in so many ways. I can drive slowly and have my car checked and eat my oragnic vegetables and take my vitamins and make my mortgage payment and go to work and get on airplanes that are safer than cars on highways...it's not my story to call. So glad I know the Author personally :) No matter how the story goes, I know His heart is pure love and goodness.