Yesterday, I was driving down towards the beach to stop at our local Comcast Cable office to pick up a HDTV cable box. I have to admit, I was pretty excited. The Steelers played last night and I was going to watch them in HD. As I sat at the light, a block or so from the office, my car stops running. Completely stops. And it won't start back up.
I got out my car and motioned to the cars behind me that I the car wasn't moving. Then I pushed my car off to the shoulder, more or less. I tried starting the car again, but with no luck. So I proceeded to call AAA to send out a tow truck because there was no where else I could push the car. Within minutes, I had a State Trooper behind me. Everyone was rubbernecking to see what kind of trouble I had gotten into. Speeding? Drug Bust? Texting while driving? DUI? Nope, just a boring breakdown.
The tow truck driver was very nice and helped me get my car back to my friends garage, and even drove me a mile back to my house. Now we wait to hear what the damage is. I guess there is a chance that the car is dead and that I might have to go find a new one. This would be very sad for 2 reasons. First, it would cost a lot of money that we were not planning on spending right now. Second, I have had that car since the summer before my Senior Year of college. We've been together for nine and a half years and nearly 160,000 miles. It is my last surviving item from college that I regularly use.
I have to admit, when I first broke down and the car wouldn't start, I was truly thankful. Sounds strange. Each Tuesday morning, I leave the house early for a 98 mile trip up to my seminary. I drive the ever busy I-95 as well as the Blue Route. On Wednesday, I take the Skukyll, Blue Route, and I-95 back home. Every once in a while I see a car that is disabled along the side of the road. More than once, I have offered a prayer to God requesting that I would not break down while on a trip to Philly for school. God answered my prayers! Rather than breaking down in Philly, I broke down a day early in a place where it was easy to get off the road and a tow truck came in under 30 minutes. That would not have happened in Philly. (As an added bonus, no one flipped me off or called me names that I can't repeat here like they would've in Philly).
Thank you God for you mercies which are new every morning! Thank you that even though I dread the thought of replacing the car, that the car broke down in a place that was safe and less stressful than where I am going tonight. Continue to provide safety on all my travels. Your grateful child, Steve. Amen.
1 comment:
Wow, looks like we both had crummy car days yesterday. I didn't break down, but I did spend an entire day in waiting rooms as mechanics tried to fix all of the things that made my car fail inspection. The worst part is it still isn't over. I forgot how ridiculous they are about cars in Pennsylvania. But yes, praise God you didn't break down on the Sure-kill and praise God my wife didn't have her car break down on her way to or from work in downtown York.
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