Dear Reader:

I mentioned a few days ago that I had a story to tell about last Wednesday, May 2…the same day ‘The Dingle 5′ flew out to start their new adventure…I had one of my own. Only mine wasn’t much fun. It did give rise, however, to the age old question of right and wrong.

It started innocently enough. When I went to stay with Mandy to help keep  Eva Cate and Jakie a week ago this past Sunday…I just grabbed my spare single key with my house key attached….simple, light…all I needed. Right?

To be perfectly honest I am not a good car locker ‘rememberer’…especially since the car has gotten older and older which my Saturn Vue has done…I mean, honestly, who would want to steal it? Having passed the 100, 000 gas mileage mark months ago ….oops, no…make that years ago now…I would hide an inner smile of glee if someone tried to take it…the joke would be on them.

During the days I left the windows down to keep the car as cool as possible since the air conditioning unit  doesn’t work that great either. Mandy remembered that I had forgotten to roll the windows up the last night I spent with her so she got my key, rolled up the windows and hit the automatic lock for all four doors.

The next morning while the children were being locked in their car seats I went out to unlock my car. There is only one door lock on the driver’s side on this particular car make and model…and guess what? The spare key didn’t open it. It worked in the ignition but not to unlock the door.

Mandy had to leave to get the kids to school on time, plus herself. She said she would call me when she got to school. We tried a couple of neighbors who weren’t around so she called a car locksmith company to come unlock it around 8:30. They told her they were ‘on their way.’

Normally this would have just been an inconvenience, nobody’s fault… just one of those things that happen, except I had a bone density test scheduled for 11:00 and they wanted me there early around 10:30 to meet with the computer registrar lady for information to fill out plus the regular paperwork.

This meant I needed to leave Mt. Pleasant to get to North Charleston by (9:45) in case traffic was heavy… which it usually is in the morning. But no problem, right…they were “on their way.”

8:30 turned to 9:00 to 9:30 to 10:00 and no locksmith. By then I was in a panic! What to do? I didn’t have time to make up this two- month pre-scheduled appointment before my next oncology visit ( which is scheduled the first work day after I get home from the beach) to go over the results…

I called the office and told them the situation and was told to please try to make it…it would take awhile before they could re-schedule… but they would try to work me in if I wasn’t too late for my appointment.

By then my hands were literally shaking with the credit card scrunched in my fist. I had my suitcase and belongings on the grass beside the driveway. At 10:10 the truck pulled up. A nice-looking young man  got out…I quickly told him the situation and how both Mandy and myself had called the company four times letting them know how important it was to come on and was told each time that they were coming…’15 minutes.‘ (sounded like a broken record)

The young man pushed in the deflated blood pressure cuff which had a noose attached to which he deftly hooked over the door lock and with one swift upward pull…the driver’s seat door was unlocked.

He glanced at the credit card and said “No charge.“ “You called at 8:30 and were told four times “15 minutes” even after explaining your medical situation. “No charge.”

As he started walking back to his truck (he was angry at the company I could tell.) I thanked him. He stopped and said, “No Ma’am…you don’t shouldn’t thank me for just doing what is right.” 

Before I could respond he got in his truck and quickly pulled out of the driveway. He looked like a college kid or someone working who was just moonlighting and trying to pick up some extra money. I felt badly…but his words kept re-playing in my memory as I literally raced down I-26 to my appointment.

I knew God would have to steer me through traffic to get even close to my appointment time but He did it. It was like the parting of the Red Sea…hardly any traffic (which is a miracle in itself on I-26) and I hit every green light on Highway 78.

The staff was so sweet and even gave me a bottle of water when they saw how red my face was…as I rushed in…the registration clerk said “You must be Rebecca. So glad you made it!”

While I was waiting on the car locksmith…I had received a picture of ‘The Dingle 5” leaving Charleston airport to JFK in NYC. While I was waiting for my bone density test I got another beep from Kaitlyn letting me know they were in New York. I told them since they left I have waited for my car to get unlocked, raced to an appointment, and now I was still waiting to get called back for the test in the time it took them to leave Charleston and get to NY. A very strange day!

As I flipped through magazine after magazine waiting to be called back for the bone density test…I saw two pictures that just made me smile…they were actually advertisements for  furniture and another for a shade of Benjamin Moore Nantucket paint. But I didn’t see any of that…I just saw two soothing pictures that made me smile.

So until tomorrow…Later that night I thought about what the young man had said…”Don’t thank me for just doing the right thing.” (There is still a lot of teacher left in me…still wanting to recognize and promote good behavior I guess. We see so little of it today where “Me, Me, Me” seems to be gaining popularity over ‘doing what is right for others.’.. I console myself with the thought that only God is  ‘Large and in charge‘…”Alleluia: for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Kaitlyn sent me a sign about a family tree garden they visited (reminded her of me and my family grandchildren tree garden)…I wanted to know more about it….so she gave me a synopsis ….so beautiful!

“Each tree has a guardian family. It was made with the intention of strengthening community. It’s made of alternate birch and Rowan trees. In Irish tradition birch trees represent a fresh start. They are a potent symbol of purification and renewal. They hold the energy of embracing change and remind us that life always follows death in the circle of life. 

Ancestors believed the Rowan tree was a symbol of the hidden mysteries of nature. It has been known as a guard and “Protector.”