Funny What I Take For Granted

Things were clipping along at their usual pace this morning. Kids were quizzed during breakfast, hair was combed, teeth brushed and prayers said. Off they went.

Round two began with me getting a jump start on dinner prep and then getting Max ready to go to his Catechesis class. We jumped in the car to go and it wouldn’t start. I tried again with no luck. Suddenly the morning changed.

First order of business was to get Max to his class without being terribly late. No problem, I thought. It was raining so we couldn’t walk, but I know several people around whose kids go to the same class so I got on the phone. The first three calls yielded nothing helpful. I saw my neighbor across the street pulling out and ran to catch her except it was her high school daughter, who was most definitely not on her way to Catechesis. I finally caught her next door neighbor, who agreed to not only take Max to Catechesis, but also drop me off at my prayer group.

Crisis averted...for the moment.

One of the moms at my prayer group picked up Max and gave us both a ride home. I called my dad (which is the person I still call first whenever I need anything). He came over right away, used his jumper cables and had the car up and running without any problems...except that I didn't need to go anywhere.

Ten minutes before three I loaded Max up to pick up the kids from school. The only problem was that the car wasn't going anywhere. One more call to a friend enabled my kids to have a ride home. Then I made another call to my dad. What do I do now?

Did I mention Nelson was out of town? I say this lest you think he's neglected me.

We tried to jump the car again to no avail. Driving it to the shop was not an option and it was too late for a tow.

No worries. I'll just call for the tow in the morning. Except that in the morning the kids have to get to school. I have to be with them because they fully expect me to be there for the Veteran's Day program. Max has to get to school across town in the middle of that program and I'll have to get back to the shop and get my car before I have to tutor and pick the kids up.

Funny how a normal day can get complicated so quickly. A day like today makes me exceptionally grateful that I live in a place where I know my neighbors well enough to ask them for help. It makes me grateful that I have a dad who seems always to be at my beck and call when I'm in need. It also makes me grateful we have AAA.

I'm also very aware of how one little thing going wrong can change your whole day... your whole outlook. It's amazing what I take for granted.