Blessed. That’s how I’m feeling this week for so many reasons. Last Tuesday, I left the house to drive to my sessions with women at Pathways for Change. I felt the car slip a little as I turned left out of the driveway, but I chalked it up to the first rain we’ve had in months, making the road slippery. Hearing road noise, I tried to close the windows – but they were already up. Then I knew – I have a flat tire. I turned left at the light, then immediately pulled into the gas station. Yep, the tire was flat as pancake; filling it with air would be futile. Darn! I didn’t want to be late…what to do? We have AAA, but I know it can take a while before a truck arrives. I called my husband who had left ten minutes before me, heading east on busy US 98. When I told him what happened, he said, “I’ll be right there.” While waiting, I called Pathways to alert them, and soon Flack showed up. “Can you drive a stick shift?” he asked. “Sure,” I said, hoping I still had that skill. “Then take my Mini, and I’ll stay here with your car,” he said. I drove better than I expected and arrived only ten minutes late, thanks to my dear husband!
I spent two hours with the women that day, feeling ever more grateful for my life in general. Two of the four women’s mothers had been murdered by their fathers. Another was kicked out of the house by her mother when she was barely a teenager. The fourth woman rocked back and forth in her chair for nearly the whole time. It was her first visit, so I knew nothing of her background. These young women have dealt with more in their short lives than I have in all my decades. Yet, they expressed gratitude to their grandmother, aunt, or grandfather for taking them in and raising them.
Yesterday, my book group met for our monthly gathering. In addition to the book, we share what’s been going on in our lives. Of the seven, two are widowed, one was divorced by her husband after decades of marriage, one perches on the edge of the chair after serious back surgery, two are dealing with breast cancer…and there are likely things I don’t know. I felt very blessed to have a husband who loves and cares for me, a happy upbringing with decent parents, siblings whom I love, my good health, and now the joy of having our son, daughter-in-law and two granddaughters living with us as they start the next phase of their lives.
Blessed? Yes, I truly am.