Timing

Timing is everything. I posted on Monday that we had had a lovely drive in the country on Sunday. What I didn't mention is that we took the pickup. Now "Black Beauty" has not had much driving in the past seven months. We have taken her out for a couple of drives over the past 4-5 months with Jill at the wheel, but mostly she has sat in the garage. I sometimes imagine her weeping quietly, since she hasn't had an opportunity to pull the trailer or haul a load of bark dust. 

So, when we boarded her for our Sunday drive, I put the key in the ignition and gave it a twist. There was some kind of chattering noise, but no activity from the starter. I was surprised, because I have had a battery charger hooked up for some time. Fortunately, we have a portable battery jumper for just such occasions. It did the trick, but not without some difficulty. Once the engine was going, ol' Black drove like a champ. 

When we got home, I reattached the battery charger. Now, during the interim, I had had time to reason through this whole episode. When I realized that the battery in our 2014 Nissan Titan was the original one that came from the factory, it dawned on me that car batteries seldom last eight plus years. Bingo! I guess it's time for a new battery. 

Monday was given over to medical issues and some fetching of supplies. By the time I remembered the pickup, it seemed too late in the day to deal with it. On Tuesday morning, however, we were sitting in the trailer in the RV garage, while our house cleaner was busy in the house. I decided to call our favorite mechanic to see if he could put a new battery in the truck. Unfortunately, his first available appointment was two days hence. 

Now this is where the timing issue becomes interesting. I called the local Les Schwab store and inquired as to whether they could help me with my situation. Michelle told me that they could get a battery that afternoon, and she would call me when it came in. I thanked her and poured another cup of coffee. It was only about half an hour before she called back to say that the battery was ready to be installed. We got our jackets. I disconnected the battery charger, hopped in the driver's seat and turned the key. No joy!

I got the portable jumper unit and hooked it up, and while I tended that, Jill turned the key. Although the engine turned over, it would not fire. Soon, the jumper ran low on power. "Aha," thought I. "I'll push the truck out onto the driveway and use the Ford to jump start it." Once we had Black Beauty out of the garage, while I was looking for my jumper cables, Jill went across the street to ask a neighbor if he had a set. I never did locate either of my two sets of cables, and as I emerged from the garage, scratching my head. There was my darling wife with cables in hand. "OK, piece of cake," I thought. 

I moved the Ford into position, hooked up the cables and had Jill try to start the pickup. No joy. About that time, Kevin, the neighbor with the big heart and the jumper cables, came over and offered to help. We tried starting with Kevin on the cables and me behind the wheel. Still no luck. That's when Kevin mentioned that there was a Les Schwab service truck two doors down at another neighbor's house. So, I walked down the street and told my tale of woe to the technician in the truck, who was just preparing to depart. "I have an appointment at your shop to have a new battery put in my truck, but I can't get it started." "Not to worry," says he. "I can give you a jump." 

He pulled his service truck up next to Black Beauty and quickly got the engine going. Off we went to the Les Schwab shop. When we got there, Tom, the neighbor who had called the Les Schwab service truck to his home to change a flat tire, was sitting in the waiting area. After a few minutes and nearly simultaneously, Tom and I were called to the desk to complete the paper work and were on our respective ways. 

This whole incident reminds me of how faithful God has been over time and especially over the last seven months since my leukemia diagnosis. He brought me through five rounds of chemotherapy with practically no ill effects. He provided neighbors who took charge of a couple of home improvement projects that were scheduled before I went to the hospital. He lifted the load of a decision regarding bone marrow transplant from my shoulders. He has given me an angel of mercy for a wife, who has cheerfully tended to my every need and whim. 

And now, when my pickup needed a new battery, He provided 1) a quickly and locally available replacement, 2) a neighbor with jumper cables (where did I leave my two sets of cables??), 3) another neighbor whose flat tire provided a technician (from the very shop where my battery sat waiting) when the pickup wouldn't start, and 4) stunningly quick and efficient service when we got to the service center. 

I found myself humming that old hymn, "Great is Thy Faithfulness:"

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see:
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

 

^"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 

²³ They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

²⁴ The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him." (Lamentations 3:22-24, emphasis added.)