Danny posted on his own website his version of our stay in Arkansas. Usually I read his posts before they're published but this one I didn't. I love it. I love it so much. I wanted to share it here as well. I loved his thoughts and his views on our car troubles that day. He also said it better than I did when I recapped it in my roadtrip review. These are his thoughts below but you can also find it on his website here.
"Over two weeks ago, our family moved from New Braunfels, Texas to Fargo, North Dakota, for a new job opportunity. I accepted another postdoc position. Going from the southern part of Texas to the south of North Dakota is a huge adjustment, but it has been a welcome change.
On our journey, we thought it would be cool to weave in and out of states and see parts of the United States we have never seen and may never see again. We drove through parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas, which left us speechless because of their natural beauty. We also went through Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota, finding things that made each place unique and beautiful. It was a trip I don't think my children will ever forget.
On the morning of the third day of our trip, after we checked out of our hotel in Fayetteville, Arkansas, our minivan would not start. We initially thought our kids forgot to turn off the DVD player, which led to the battery running out of juice. Thankfully, we were able to find jumper cables, and someone was kind enough to give us a jump. Sadly, our van still wouldn't start. We thought maybe it was because of old cables or a smaller car helping us out, but after a couple more attempts, we concluded that it was something more complicated than a dead battery. During the whole process, my wife and I were frustrated, as we thought of worst-case scenarios. Our kids were running all over the place and feeling restless, and we were three days into our journey and not even halfway to our destination yet.
It was in these moments that I decided to try something I usually forget to do: I said a prayer. For me, I chose to pray to God. I asked for my car to start and to help us get on our way. For you, this may be a thoughtful request to the universe for similar help. Sadly, my car did not magically start. Some might call that proof that God did not answer my prayer or that the universe was not vibing with me that day. But before we jump to conclusions, let's hear the rest of the story. We decided to remove the battery and get it tested. So, we hopped in our moving truck with our other car attached and drove to the closest car parts store we could find. My battery was from NAPA, so we opted to head there and see what they could do for us since my battery was still under warranty. However, this location was closed because it was Sunday. So, we went to AutoZone instead, which happened to be a mile closer than NAPA - when you are driving a big moving truck with a car attached to the back, closer is better.
When we arrived at AutoZone, JD helped us. He initially saw our battery and said "it looked a little expanded, so it was probably a crappy battery, but let's get it tested to be sure". While it was getting tested, we explained what was going on and the issues we were having. He said, "you know, it sounds like it might be your starter."
JD then mentioned that AutoZone was his part-time gig, but in his full-time work, he was a mobile mechanic who charged for the price of the parts and labor. If we felt the price was fair, he would drive to us and install the part after his shift, which ended in about an hour.
We decided to trust JD, even though we were initially skeptical. After his shift, he went and found the part needed, came to our location, and fixed our Honda Odyssey. We were able to get on our way, although about six hours later than hoped. but we made progress on our journey.
Now, you be the judge. Did God or the universe answer my prayer or call? I feel like something did happen. We went to AutoZone because NAPA was closed. We met JD, who was a mobile mechanic, who used to work at a Honda dealership and knew how to work on Honda vans well. It seems weird and it also seems unlikely that all these random things would have worked out this way, but they did. Either God answered my prayer, the universe was looking out for me that day, or by random chance, all these things fell into place.
Either way, I felt like we were helped out that day in a way we were not expecting, and that is pretty cool."
No comments:
Post a Comment