Let Go and Let God

Okay, I give. I'm tired of fighting it. Clearly, I am never getting our car back. At 3 p.m., they said it would be ready for me before 5 p.m., so I called a cab to pick me up at 4--giving me plenty of time to get the dealership, do whatever paperwork and still pick up Maddie at the late bus at 5:40. But no, I got to the dealership to find out that the service center is actually 3 miles away. They have a courtesy van, but it is stuck in traffic due to an accident. By this time, I was so fed up that I just walked out of the office without any explanation. But that was better than yelling at people who were innocent bystanders.

So I walk to where I'm supposed to pick Maddie up to cool off and her late bus is actually very late--by almost half an hour due to traffic (possibly caused by the same accident). Our friend Sonja gives us a ride home and I have a message from the service center to call them. Not a message that the car is ready as promised, but just to call them. Of course, by this time, they are closed.

BTW, Sonja's husband is in Mumbai on business and I just read online that 80 people have been killed by gunman in various locations there. I don't want to call her tonight and worry her in case she doesn't know this, but am anxious to talk to her tomorrow to make sure all is well.

I also bought a small Christmas tree that the nursery was supposed to deliver, but hasn't yet because they don't have anyone available to deliver it. Again, how this country once ruled an empire is beyond me.

The news of Ann and Nick Tillman of Hot Springs who were killed in a plane crash this week has me thinking of Pat and Lenny Segal who were also killed in a plane crash over 20 years ago. I have such clear and awful memories of that day, and at the same time, such great memories of Pat and Lenny. I laugh every time I remember Lenny returning a borrowed suitcase to crusty Dr. Bennett in front of a crowd of people at his retirement dinner. And Pat and Lenny always made the dinner for youth group for the first meeting of the year. It was fried chicken and this amazing cheese bread that I still have the recipe for. And then it's funny to remember all the ways the Segal/Evans kids ditched the wheat germ that Pat and Lenny wanted sprinkled on everything when they were going through that health kick (never mind that Pat kept a not-so-secret stash of chocolate). One of my goals in life is to someday be as elegant as Pat was.

I've got about 150 Lebkuchen cookies and 30 Black Forest Cupcakes to contribute to the international fair tomorrow. I'll get them there one way or another.

Happy Thanksgiving to all. We all have much to be thankful for.