I would like to tell you a story...
Last Friday (October 19th), my Mom, little brother and I were headed to LAX to pick up my Dad and Fr Beau in the church van (mini-van) at 5:30 pm PST. As we made our way across town, weaving through the ill-planned freeway system, we were laughing at jokes being made, and talking about the traffic and how it all ways seemed that they put the different freeway junctions in the strangest spots. At approx. 5:15 pm we had gotten through the thickest part of the traffic (we were sailing down the freeway at 15 to 20 mph) and were probably about 15 to 20 minutes from LAX when we heard a roaring sound. My mom said, "Is that one of the other cars?" So we waited and while we were waiting Mom dropped our speed a bit. The roar changed pitch. Once another car passed us, Mom said: "That's us." So she began moving us toward the side of the freeway. As she was changing lanes the roar was joined but a violent shaking of the van. What ended up be the side of the freeway was the V of an on-ramp onto the freeway. So she moved the car over the on-ramp to the wall. As the cars zoomed by us Mom said: "You call, Dad and I'll call AAA." I called Dad and told him of our predicament and told him that we would be late to pick them up. My mom meanwhile was getting AAA and her conversation went something like this:
"This is AAA how can I help you?"
"Hi, I have a flat tire on the I-110."
"ooooo."
"Yeah."
"Can you tell me which tire it is?"
"The front drivers side."
"Can you tell me where you are?"
"We are at Call Box 110 175."
"Great! I know exactly where you are I can see you."
"How long will it take the tow truck?"
"About 25 minutes."
"That's wonderful thank you."
"You're welcome."
So for 25 minutes we sat at the side of I-110 S waiting for the tow truck and watching the cars whip by us. 25 minutes later, the tow truck pulled up in front of us, and we could immediately see that the driver was trying to figure out how he was going to change our tire without getting himself run over. He was a friendly little guy, and we were quickly laughing when he told Mom to move to the back of the car without getting out of the car. As it turned out I moved and let Mom just slide to the passenger seat. Then our friendly tow truck driver tried to release the spare tire. Well, after he said: "No good." three times we all pilled into his tow truck which would seat two safely. Anyway, once we (the three Ks) were in the passenger side we quickly discovered that the truck door wouldn't close because it had wedged itself into the wall. Well the friendly tow truck driver put his back against the side of the truck, planted his feet on the wall and pushed, all the while trying to pull the door closed. When this didn't work, as we left he pulled away from the wall and were able to close the door.
We then made our way off the freeway and to a tire shop which was a good ways from the freeway but much closer to the airport and was in fact on the incoming flight path for the planes. So we could see all the planes lining up and shinning there lights so it looked like little fairies flying through the air. It was after they got the car off the tow truck that we first saw the tire. The tire was a shredded blown-out mass of rubber. We laughed as we watched the tire flop around on the rim as they drove up to one the lifts. It wasn't too long after that we were on our way to the airport again.
Now let me say this: we had a blow-out. Had we not been in rush hour traffic we could have lost control and well... one scenario is that I wouldn't be writing this post right now. Had we left at 4 o'clock like we had originally planned we would have been going a lot faster than we were.
That said, God was watching over us. How many times do you think He change our plans so that something bad doesn't happen?
