May 3
I absolutely love Heavenly Father! I have come to the conclusion that he has the best sense of humor!
I was unpacking a box of pictures to hang on the wall when I ran across one of Cristina from her prom.
She looked absolutely gorgeous in her red, beaded dress, every hair in place, styling with her matching red shoes.
You can see from her smile that the day had been everything she had dreamt it would be.
What she didn't know was the events that had been put into place to make that day happen.
As you can tell from my stories, money didn't exactly always flow freely in our household when the kids were younger.
Okay sometimes it was nowhere to be seen, but somehow we managed with a song and a prayer!
Cristina had thought that her mother would take care of the costs associated with the prom, so we, Cristina included, did not plan on this added expense.
Two weeks before the prom date we got a frantic, tear-filled phone call from our daughter. Her mother had only given her a small fraction of the amount needed to cover the expenses for the prom.
We try not to place a big value on material things, but we do realize that your high school senior prom is a once in a life time event, an event that marks the finalization of a major phase of your life.
We saw it as a passage of rite and a celebration of a major accomplishment called graduating high school.
On such short notice there wasn't enough time for me to make her gown or shop around to try to find the best bargain. Not to mention that it was the height of prom season and the pickings were pretty slim when it came to dresses.
This is where the Lord showed us that he knows our needs or rather some of our wants before we do!
A week before we got the call from Cristina, I was taking the kids to school in my old green suburban, when a young man ran the stop sign and crashed into us!
Not the best way to start the morning! To say I was upset is putting it mildly!
I quickly asked my kids if they were okay. Thank Heavens for seatbelts!
I jumped out of the truck as I noticed through the side view mirror that he didn't seem too motivated to pull over and exchange papers. I ran over to the driver's door and banged on his window. (I don't recommend this to anyone! I did this because I had years of experience in these situations as a state trooper!)
He instantly stopped and I walked to the back of his car and wrote down his license plate. I guess this made him realize that even if he took off I had him!
I instantly went into "cop mode". He started to get out of his car, I told him in a voice that let him know I wasn't kidding, to get back in the car.
I yelled back to my kids to stay in the car and lock the doors. I asked him for his license and registration.
His friend started saying something to him in a foreign language and I quickly told him to zip it and hand over the required paperwork.
I guess by my demeanor they knew I meant business because they complied. I got all the required information and gave them mine.
I watched as they drove off and then walked back to my car. As soon as I got into my car I turned back into "Mom mode".
My kids were a little shaken but otherwise unhurt.
After making sure they were alright I drove them to school and dropped them off.
The rest of my day was dealing with the insurance company and setting the appointment for the insurance adjuster to come see the damage.
The next morning the insurance adjuster came by my house and filled out the report.
An experience I could have done without?
Well sometimes blessing come in weird packages. Fast forward to just after our daughter's phone call. My husband and I knew we did not have the money she needed, yet somehow we had the feeling that we would be able to make this day happen for her.
She came over after the phone call and Mel spent some time talking to her and calming her down. She went home feeling a lot better.
That night Mel and I prayed for help from Heavenly Father. Sometimes we think that the only time God helps us, is in life or death situations. The reality is he helps us every minute of every day whether we know it or not.
The next day when I got home from running some errands I found a letter from my insurance company. They very nicely explained that since we had an older car rather than they sending me somewhere to get the damaged fixed they sent us a check to get the repairs done ourselves!
Two things here, one, the damage wasn't that bad and two? The check was exactly for the amount my daughter needed to cover ALL the expenses with an extra ten dollars thrown in so she could go out for breakfast afterwards, frivolous?
It could have been, if our objective was to show off or pretend to be something we weren't then yes it would have been. But our objective was to show our daughter that if we do the right things, like stay in school, and work hard, as in graduate from high school, we do get rewarded.
In this case we made sure that God's blessings were known, because it was he who made her special day possible!
She found the dress of her dreams at the first place she went, the matching shoes on sale and her uncle did her hair. The strange thing was that she told us, she enjoyed every moment of the prom, because she knew how lucky she was to have been able to go.
Sometimes when things are hard to get, we totally appreciate them so much more than if they are just handed to us.
The funny thing is that what goes around comes around.
I got a call from the insurance company months later telling me that the two gentlemen in the accident were claiming injuries and trying to sue for medical expenses and damages. The representative from the insurance company asked me why I hadn't called the police. I told her because not only was I "the police" but I had been declared an expert witness by the courts in our state for motor vehicle accident investigation!
The woman on the phone couldn't stop laughing when I told her this.
She asked me if I would be willing to testify in court, absolutely I told her!
Needless to say they dropped the lawsuit!
I picked up the picture and placed it on my fireplace mantle. It served two purposes, one to remind me of our beautiful daughter on her magical night; and also so I would never forget that God does truly reward good deeds!
Oh yeah, and the fact that he loves a really good joke! Just ask the two guys who tried to sue our insurance company!
Great story, and yes Im always amazed at Gods Timeing. Also jogged my memory for another post thnx
Posted by: Al Rothering | November 18, 2008 at 09:14 AM
ok you may get two of these cause I couldn't navigate through your site easily, But i was startled I was half asleep when the dumb arse hit us.
P.S. http://www.youtube.com/castorxtroy give a shout out for my page here and there, wouldn't hurt you know lol, love ya and miss ya
Posted by: your son | November 17, 2008 at 03:34 PM
Another great story....
It is funny how things work out. I still remember my prom from m-a-n-y moons ago. How nice of you to realize that it would be an important date for your daughter then and now.
Posted by: Ann | November 17, 2008 at 03:03 AM