Our second car started dying a few months ago and is now completely dead. It's the car that Alan used to drive to work. It's the used car we bought when I was pregnant with Emma 8 years ago and has about 1.8 million miles on it now. It's one of those cars that will cost more to fix than it's worth. We've been managing pretty well without it and we've been very blessed to have had Alan's co-worker offer to give him rides almost every day! But sometimes there are days, like today, a Saturday, when we both would like to use the car at the same time to go somewhere completely different. Me, I wanted to go Christmas shopping and run errands and have Alan stay home with the kids for a few hours. After all, it's December and I have a TON on my to-do list. Alan wanted to go check out a keyboard that Emma might be able to use to practice piano. I obliged because he rarely gets to use the car to do things like this. It IS usually me using it for errands while he stays home. But I just
had to open my mouth about it and complain about how horrible it is that we only have one car and ask how long will this go on, etc. I pouted as I walked around the corner to Walmart to attempt to scratch some things off my to-do list, knowing I wouldn't get everything done I wanted.
I was feeling pretty crummy about our situation and the fact that the bank won't give us even a small car loan because of our massive student loan debt. I felt sorry for my self and angry, like I have so many times.
Then it happened.
I finished some shopping and made my way to the long Walmart check out line and waited, watching all the hussle and bussle of Christmas craziness around me. Then when it was finally my turn to purchase my items, the checker, a young twenty something with dark hair, started telling me about herself and how grateful she was for this job since it was getting her through college. We chit chatted for a minute and she was very nice, but I admit that I was thinking,
Oh that's nice, but can you hurry? There's about 3 thousand people behind me and I don't want them giving me the evil eye for taking too long and holding them up. Then she told me something. She said she was glad she got this job at this Walmart because she used to have to WALK to a job at another Walmart in a different city because she has NO CAR. She said it took her TWO HOURS AND FORTY MINUTES to WALK to her job at Walmart.
I was relieved to find she no longer has to do that but shocked she had been doing that at all.
I felt about 2 inches tall as I walked home. I felt guilty and selfish for complaining about my lot when clearly there are those in my path every day in worse circumstances than I. I apologized to Alan and I apologized to my Heavenly Father for my ingratitude, something I'm afraid I've been guilty of far too often. I have MUCH to be thankful for, such as this lesson in humility heaven handed me today.
