We are on our way to Jackson, MS, to spend our annual week with Joan, my mother in law. (Please pronounce this Jo-Ann or you will be so sorry.). It is midday Sunday. We have just finished listening to a beautiful sermon by Dr. Bryan Chappell (such a good name for a preacher, don't you think?!). He challenges us to obey Psalm 100 and to be thankful in all things, no matter what is going on. Praise the Lord! Um, YES. Of course. Sign me up for that; I am in. I mean, like Oprah says, gratitude is good for the soul. Buy me that gratitude journal. In fact, what is wrong with people who cannot just be thankful?! Are you kidding? God has given us life and health and coffee and chocolate. And salvation and Jesus.
Right as I am questioning the grumpiness of all mankind, the "low air in tire" indicator lights up on our Honda Pilot dashboard. No worries, we are stopping soon for a pee break and some food. We will find an air pump and get that thing back in shape! After all, we need to get to Jackson. We have four crazy, loud children who are getting to the end of any intrinsic patience that they possess. (As are their parents.).
I will admit, the car is feeling "not quite right" as we glide into the parking space in front of Meridian's favorite ham store, The Honey Baked Ham. I quickly open the door and peek. My spirits go as flat as the tire I am looking at. But my husband, ever the project manager, has Plan A, B, and C before he even emerges from the car. This will be FINE. We will get the spare, put it on, get to Jackson and work this out! An hour later, we finally have the spare freed from its comfortable nest under the car. Can you imagine what YOUR family would be like at this point? Would you like some cheese with that WHINE?! Will is "helping" Daddy. That is code for slinging the tire jack around as if he is holding a bat. Rihanna is lamenting on being adopted into the wrong family, with the white people who have no idea how to change a tire. Cate is yelling at Will,;Alana is yelling at Cate to stop yelling at Will, and I am thinking, "It is so weird how God had us hear that sermon about gratitude right before a flat tire! It is almost as if he KNEW this was about to happen."
Several kind Mississippians stop to try to help. Each one seems to make the situation a little bit worse. Bless their hearts. Apparently, our previous lug-nut tightener had done his job with a vengeance, and his work is impossible to undo. AAA arrives and inflates the tire enough to get us to the local Firestone, but he is doubtful that they can help us on a Sunday afternoon. (Come again? What was that thing he just said?)
We get to Firestone after two stops to re-inflate the tire. AAA guy is right. They will not even begin the work, because it is almost closing time. We beg. We try a bribe. We are not good bribers. This car is not getting fixed today. The family gathers in the Firestone customer area, "discussing"what to do...with many loud, and sometimes, immoral words. There are no car rental places open. We must spend the night. It had never entered my mind two hours ago that we would be stuck in small-town Mississippi tonight. I decide to check out AirBnB...maybe there is some big beautiful house down the street that we can stay in! When life gives you lemons....well, you know. My search produces five options! Five! We get to choose between five homes for the evening! No wait...not five homes...five TENTS in Quitman, MS. Tents, y'all. Tents.
(All the while, as we sit in the Firestone lobby, there is a beautiful woman watching our family meltdown unfold. When she gets up to leave, I comment, "I bet you feel a lot better about YOUR life than you did before we came in!")
Once again, no worries. It should be easy to find a hotel for our six family members and two chihuahuas. (Sarcasm) We find a "Tru Hilton". (Why must people misspell words?!) Next, how do we get there? Uber of course! Fun fact: there is only one Uber driver in Meridian, Mississippi. After some time, we locate her and she comes to our rescue. We squeeze six humans, two dogs, and a few suitcases into her car. Later, Will wonders aloud, "What did we do to deserve this?" I remember the sermon that I listened to a few hours ago. I correct Will, "The better question is, what have we done to deserve any of the good things that God has done for us?! We do not deserve Him. We deserve a thousand flat tires."
"Why did all of that happen?" I wonder, as I sit in Joan's comfortable, beautiful home in Jackson, MS. I suppose it is not really any of my business to know why God does what he does. I think about how that flat tire could have had us on the side of the road and in harm's way, but instead He got us off of I-20 and into the parking lot. I think about the people that God sent to help us. I think about our Angel Uber driver. I think about the great night of sleep we all had at the Tru Hilton. I think about how we have jobs and money to pay for flat tires and unexpected hotel stays.
I am sending a shout out to Bryan Chappell, whose sermon prepared our hearts for this adventure. But, be assured that we will never again listen to one of your sermons on a road trip.