Should Have, Could Have, Would Have 7/31/2019

Good Morning,

The sun is up and there is a heavy dew on the grass at our home. I just poured a cup of Door County Mocha Mint Coffee and now it is time to write.

Galatians 6:7 New King James Version (NKJV)

⁷ Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

Last night as I was coming home from our church board meeting I was traveling on a pretty dark section of highway in our truck. I noticed up ahead in the road that a vehicle had it's emergency lights turned on and they were flashing for some type of distress. As I drove by I could see that the person in distress was a female with a flat tire. By assessing her attire I could tell that she worked in health care.  I stopped and put on a headlamp as well as turning on my emergency flashers. It didn't take me too long to figure out that this young lady had a flat tire. I introduced myself and asked her if she wanted some help. She said that she had tried calling her husband, but he had not left work yet and wasn't able to leave for another hour. I again asked if she would like me to change the tire and she replied "yes please."

I went back to my truck and pulled out some more lights and a simple car jack. The tools I have in the truck made this an easy job. Once I had everything in place I stooped again and began to loosen the lug nuts on the wheel. I will admit that I needed to strain and grunt a little to get the lug nuts to move. My new friend in distress reminded me to be careful and not hurt my knees. I thought that her statement was kind of strange. Why did she comment on my knees? I blew off of the comment as just a coincidence that she would mention my knees. No way could she know that I had the joints replaced last December. I finished the tire change and loaded the flat into her trunk, wished her well and was going to leave. She thanked me for the 5th time and then asked. "How are those knees?" I told her they were fine. Then I remembered where I knew her from. She took care of me while I was in the hospital. We both laughed as she knew she had me fooled for a minute and that I couldn't figure out how she knew about my knees. It was pretty funny to be spoofed.

She asked me if I had any regrets about replacing them both at one time. I said "absolutely not. It was the best decision I had made in a long time, but should have made it many years sooner. Why I didn't listen to my doctor, my family, and my friends I will never know."

We both said good night and as I was driving home I recalled those nights of care I needed and received. I then remembered a world class surgeon who called me on Christmas day to check on me. The physical therapists who worked with me and didn't take "I can't" for an answer. I was blessed with family and friends who drove me to appointments. I then remembered the countless ice packs that my wife delivered to my bedside.

Why I write this is,  I am grateful for all who God sent my way to help me over 8 weeks of recovery time. It allowed me to help someone else and it did not hurt one bit. I was able to repay kindness with kindness. This lady I helped was  the beneficiary of the law of the harvest. She reaped what she had sown. Only God could show me that example on a dark road.

Marty