"It Was The Best of Times, It Was The Worst of Times"

FORWARD OF CHAT WITH DAD:

9:27 AM Dad: It is the worst of times, it is the best of times. To you I hope it is the best of times.

9:29 AM Rachel: Hello Charles Dickens. It is definitely the best, but it all depends on how you force yourself to look at things doesn't it. You wouldn't believe the morning we had yesterday.

17 minutes

9:46 AM Rachel: Mikayla went out at 7:30 to warm up the pickup. At 7:45 she went out with Eden to go to school. A minute later she came back in and reported that the truck was "gone". We have been recently warned in our city paper not to warm up our cars in the morning without locking them, but we misplaced our second truck key and because it it sooo cold, she and Fred have been doing it anyway. My first thought (though I was incredulous) was that it had been stolen, but I went outside to look around and I thought I could hear the engine. It was incredibly foggy (hard to see even next door), but because I thought I could hear it, my next thought was that some jokester had moved it down the street a little. I sent her to look for it because I was only in my pj's and I ran inside. Minutes later she came in and reported that she had found it but it was in somebody's yard. She said she was knock on the neighbors door and let her know what someone had done in case there was lawn dammage that we needed to take care of and then she would head to school. I said goodbye and shut the door and immediatley heard sirens, which moments later arrived and parked in front of my neigbors house (this is a neighbor kitty corner across the street that I don't know). My heart sank, so I grabbed a coat and slippers and ran out and could see Mikayla talking to neighbor and the policeman approaching her. When I got closer I could see that the truck had back over their huge flagpole that was cemented into the ground and INTO their front room (you could actually see the bumper through the wall). The policeman was very gruff and sent me immediatly home and told Mikayla and Eden to go with me and wait for him in our house (can't they ever be even a little kind? There gruffness never helps!!!) The thoughts going through my head were, "what kind of crazy, delinquent person would do something like this.....in Middleton of all places". .

  We waited for about 10 minutes and the policeman finally came over and asked Mikayla what happened (of course Mikayla is in emotional panic mode and I wasn't doing much better and Fred was already gone). Then the policeman asked if we had experienced any transmissions problems in the past and I told him that the truck had a hard time changing gears and he informed us that he was pretty sure that it had dropped into gear, spun out on the black ice road and because it was idling so high, backed up until something stopped it (which happened to be a house wall)

9:52 AM You can imagine how we felt! Within 15 minutes we had neighbors and friends and ward members coming over and calling to see how they could help (everyone imagining that Mikayla had been in the truck) and than one of our high counsilors drove by and came to door and Mikayla just burst into tears. He was such a kind father figure and just held her in his arms, soothing her with his calm, kind words and then told her to go wash her face and he would take both of the girls to school. I was so grateful to him for that simple act and for his steadying presence.

9:57 AM I eventually, with the policeman hounding me, got ahold of our insurance company and called a tow truck and finally approached the neighbor with all of my information (not the best circumstances to meet), but she was completely understanding and kind and so many of the same people who came to us were helping her as well. Her husband was out of town, 2/1/2 hours away, so she was feeling a little unsteady as well, but she got ahold of him and he headed home immediatly. Two hours later, the tow truck showed up and we all watched them try to extract the truck from the wall with their winch and crow bars and when they finally pulled it out, the neigbor had a hole that you could put furniture through and our solid steel heap of junk didn't have a dent (that wasn't there already :)

10:04 AM I'm sure it will all turn out alright. A construction worker down the street came over as soon as the truck was out and had the hole fixed structurally before the girls even got home from school. Our insurance says they will pay for everything and we have finally met our neighbors :) It was the most emotionally draining morning, but by the time Fred got here in the afternoon I was feeling the true Christmas Spirit stronger than I have all season (and it's been a very good one) and was feeling the peace that comes from having, re-emphasized, what really matters. So, "It was the best of times, It was the worst of times" was more fitting than you could have possibly known!

10:09 AM Dad: So God our Eternal Father sent one of His Priesthood sons to comfort three of His daughters in a time of deep need, did He. What a incredible story. Who says God isn't aware of our immediate needs. Christ Himself would have held Mikayla had He personally been there but He chose one of His other sons to do the job. I am glad that priesthood brother was on duty and in tune that morning.

10:13 AM Rachel: Me too! And I should mention (to be fair) that by the time the police officer left that morning he was very kind and understanding as well, but unfortunatly Mikayla didn't get to see that side of him. I guess they must put up rigid walls and be "stone" sometimes or the hard things they have to deal with would crush them, but my goodness that make things emotionally difficult, when you really are trying to do what's right.

10:15 AM Dad: God bless your family at this Christmas time. You as a family have been through much stress this past year. Thank goodness you have Fred to get you through all of this.

10:20 AM Rachel: I think we are supposed to be learning something about humility that, at least I, can't quite get through this proud, thick skull of mine.

10:22 AM Dad: It took a week every day during your teen age days to finally get the message of what God wanted you to know but you finally got it and you then became one of the best teenagers that ever lived.

10:32 AM Rachel: Yikes! Does that mean I am going to have to have these experiences for years and years? I guess that all depends on how fast I can learn, but it is frustrating you know. I know where I am weak and I know what is right, but it seems like every day I struggle with compassion and temperance and kindness and being non judgemental. I know, it's a lifelong process but some of us are slower than others! Never fear, I am working at it, so that hopefully when I am 90, my children will be taking care of a sweet little old lady (though the label is so misplaced right now, it almost makes me laugh (I'm much closer to "ornery, stubborn old biddy" :)

10:35 AM Dad: You must have gotten that from your earthly father. Have a good day. I shall email you later of an experience Mom and I had yesterday.

 Rachel: Will look forward to that. Have a good rest.

 Dad: Thank you.