Picture it. Sicily, 1923. Ok, not really, but picture it Knoxville, MD 2012.
When I went blueberry picking at the little gem of a place on Friday I saw signs that led to an estate sale on the same winding dirt country road and made a mental note to head back to it yesterday morning. I had to work at Wild Rose from 10-5, but the sale started at 8 so I had plenty of time. I woke up early anyhow, and brewed myself some coffee, had some breakfast and headed out bright and early Saturday morning, heading down the same country road we had travelled on Friday. I had Chris’ company car which is the same make as mine because he was going to take mine for an oil change before I head to Haven (WOOT!). I turned form the dirt road onto the driveway leading to the estate sale. The driveway was long and windy and also made of dirt. I headed down and hit an area that had a pond to the left and a ditch with grass to the right- no room left to even scoot off the road for other cars. As I was heading down, 3 cars came towards me from the direction of the estate sale. I tried to reverse and get out of the way a bit, and as I did, the car fell towards the ditch, landing on 3 wheels. It very well could have rolled, but it did not, and I am so thankful for that. I hopped out of the car so fast with it still running…. once I got out and saw it was not going to move, I turned it off and grabbed all my things. I called Chris and told him “I am in trouble”.
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| Actual picture of the car when it was being towed, courtesy of Chris…. The new company car is due any day so not worrying about the plate #. |
I told him what happened and he remained calm and cool as I told him the details. He called roadside assistance, and while I waited for them he headed to come get me so that I could make it to work. I contemplated heading to the sale, but that somehow felt very inappropriate at this point- ha ha! I headed to a grassier area near the pond and waited, swatting gnats and slapping fire ants off my ankles the whole time- just how I like to spend my Saturday mornings.
Chris and the tow truck arrived at the same time. I left with the kids and took them to work with me for a bit while Chris stayed with the car and the tow truck. As I headed to work with the kids, they asked me lots of questions. I told them how scared I was, that I could have gotten hurt. I told them I also was scatred to call Daddy because I knew he would be mad- Sawyer confirmed and said “He was mad!” But he never once made me aware of that.
While at work I received a text from Chris that they needed a second tow truck… um… oops! An hour and a half later, the car was towed to safety with some minor fender damage. And Chris came to work to pick up the kids and we all lived happily ever after. And if you were in one of the cars that was stuck at the estate sale while mine was being towed, all I can say is I am SO sorry!!!!!!
Some things I am thankful for this father’s day….
Chris is patient. He never once raised his voice or yelled at me.
Chris let me have a grace period, and now we can laugh about it. Or he can safely make fun of me for it.
The car did not roll, and I am here, at home safely, writing this post.
When I got home, we went for a family walk.
Chris is not only patient and kind, loving, and helpful to me, but more importantly to our children. He is the yin to my sometimes high strung yang. We are polar opposites but together we achieve balance. Chris doesn’t read my blog, so I am not writing this for his benefit. But I wanted to just express today, on Father’s Day, how very thankful I am to him for so many reasons, and yesterday was an example of the kind of man he is.
And of course, I also want to say thank you to my own father. Had I not had such a stellar example of what a husband and father should be, I may not have chosen wisely when it came to choosing my lifetime partner. But thankfully, he is an example and I knew what to look for. 🙂
Love you, Chris, with all my heart and am so grateful for all you do.
Love you, Dad, for everything you have taught me and are still teaching me.
Happy Father’s Day!
