Proverbs 16:9

"A man's heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps." (NKJV)
This past weekend I made the trek to Yakima to visit my mom. Normally this excursion takes about 5 to 5 1/2 hours....normally....
The drive up was as to be expected...light traffic on I-84...stop in Goldendale for a fluid release...light traffic up the mountain.....down the mountain....slow down through Toppenish.....75mph on I-82.....65mph through Yakima....take the 40th ave/Naches exit....20 minutes later arrive at mom's. All good.

Saturday morning we discussed the day before us. Had to take her truck & trailer that was loaded with yard debris to the dump, drop her other car off at the mechanic shop, run errands, pick up grandma (her mom), have lunch, drag the pasture and rake the leaves from the yard.

Based on the logistics of these tasks we decided the most efficient execution would be to take the truck load to the dump Sunday morning while I followed in my car in order to just leave from the dump. Afterall, I had to leave mom's by 10am on Sunday anyway to be home by 4pm. The dump opened at 9am...we would leave mom's by 8:30...not a problem, I'd be on the road and closer to my destination by 9:30.
Saturday was a good day; we completed our errands in town, dropped grandma off and started back to mom's. While on our way back, I brought to mom's attention a rattling sound coming from my car. I had noticed it after I got my car back from her mechanic a few weeks ago. Hmmm???

Back at mom's I dragged the pasture while she worked on her garden, and we were able to finish out the day with a new lasagna repcipe (replacing pasta with zucchini) and a movie. In bed and asleep by 9:45pm.

OKAY...Sunday (hmmm...why does everything seem strange on Sunday?)

When I woke up Sunday morning mom wanted to discuss my car. She wasn't comfortable with the sound and would prefer I leave my car with her so she could take it to the mechanic and get it checked out. This was understandable...however, this meant that I would need to take her truck home...which meant we would have to go to the dump and rather than leaving from the dump, I would have to go back to mom's, take the trailer off the truck, then leave. But, we had to do what we had to do.
So...let's reconstruct Leslie's plan for her day. Leave for the dump @ 8:30...arrive by 9...unload....leave by 9:20....back at mom's by 9:50....leave mom's by 10....meet Laura in Portland around 1pm to drop off the coffee I picked up for her.....arrive Corvallis by 3pm...swing by grocery store....home by 4pm.

Now let's see what really happened:
8:15am - I wanted to show mom the video I took of Lily at her band concert before I took off. So plugged my camera into my laptop...started the video...no sound "what...why isn't there sound? It worked last time...??" Mom, being a computer nerd says, "let me look at it..."
8:40am - "Mom, we need to get going....it's 8:40
8:45am - in the truck and heading down the driveway
9:15am - arrived at dump
9:35am - finished at dump
10am - arrived back at mom's, took trailer off hitch, loaded the truck with my things, said goodbye
10:15am - in the truck and heading down the driveway
10:20am - arrived at stop sign where I am suppose to turn right....I turned left.
10:35am - arrived at a stop sign I had never been before....called mom "where am I?"....her response, "either you turn around or turn left and head down the mountain, but it will put you out on the opposite side of Yakima" either way, I've lost time...so decided to just turn left and head down the mountain.
10:50am - arrived at freeway 16 miles from the wrong side of Yakima
11:00am - Got on I-82 in Yakima
11:20am - took the Buena/Toppenish exit to head south, got behind a vehicle going 35mph in a 50mph zone....drove this slow for about 6 miles...drove through Toppenish at 25mph...got out of Toppenish....headed up the mountain.
12:30pm - Crossed the Columbia at the border, needed a bathroom break and was hungry. Decided to stop at Biggs Jct....had few choices for healthy eats...saw a little ma and pa "Deli & Market" thought I would check it out....HORRIBLE mistake...dirty, gross...used their bathroom so felt compelled to buy something anyway....purchased some wet wipes.
12:40pm - back on the road....I-84...still hungry.
1pm - arrived in the Dalles...so hungry....didn't have time to stop, but needed something to eat...decided to swing through Burger King...the quickest option...ordered a steak burger...just needed the steak.....pulled up to order..."I'll be right with you ma'am".....5 minutes later, "I apologize for the wait, how may help you?" "I just need a steak burger". I pulled forward, paid my fee and...."I'm sorry ma'am, it will be a few minutes for the steak to be done, if you could pull forward and park, we will bring it out to you". I pulled forward to wait....my patience growing slim with each wasted minute that passed. About 5 minutes later I had my steak sandwich, peeled off the bun, got situated to eat and drive and pulled back on the insterstate.
2:10pm - take the Johnson Creek exit to hit Fred Meyer so I can take another much needed bathroom break, pick up some groceries and meet Laura to give her her coffee. I had 20 minutes to get back on the road, giving me 1 1/2 hours to get home by 4pm. Cutting it EXTREMELY close, but figured I would only be a few minutes late. My stop at Fred Meyer was a success, was back in my car and on 205 by 2:35.
2:40pm - called dad to let him know I would be late, at that very minute I passed an electronic reader board indicating there was an accident on I-5 southbound just south of the 205 interchange. I decided to take the back road from the West Linn exit. This was going to slow me down. However, dad and grandma were expecting company about 3:30 and he said he wouldn't leave until after they did, so I felt as though I had a few minutes to spare. I told him I was exhausted and didn't really feel like walking in on company and visiting with people I barely knew, so if he would just call me when they left I would come over. Assuming I would already be in Monroe when he called....hoping I would already be in Monroe when he called.
2:55pm-turned onto Stafford Rd to drive the appx. 7 miles to Wilsonville and got behind a car that was going 35mph. As I continued to follow I wondered if I was behind a teenager learning how to drive. My mom made me go 45mph in a 55mph zone on Hwy 97 when I was first learning to drive. So opted to have some compassion for this person, if this be the case. As we rolled into Wilsonville and were presented with a double lane, I passed this seemingly amatueur driver, looked inside the car, and there I saw a boy of pubescent age with his hands at 2-10 and a 'father-type' in the passenger seat. I'm glad I chose compassion. I was also glad to see the traffic was moving smoothly on I-5 as I approached the on-ramp.
3:15pm-on I-5 going 5 miles over the speed limit...feeling pretty confident I would arrive before or by the time the company leaves.
3:35pm-Woodburn, the rain is coming down, the traffic becoming congested, people are weaving in and out of the lanes...am feeling uneasy about staying on the freeway...thinking the traffic may stay this congested, considering it is the last day of spring break and college kids are heading back to school, people are in a hurry....really didn't want to be a part of this game. So decided to get off at Woodburn and mosey my way over to 99E.
4pm - traveling through Keizer/Salem at 35mph, but getting lucky with the stop lights. By this time, my patience is about shot, I'm tired, I struggled finding my way to 99e, I'm still in Salem at 4pm...I am going to be soooo late! I manuever through Salem, cross the bridge on 99 heading out of Salem, look down at my gas gauge...E....CRAP! I need gas. Of course I realize this after I pass all the gas stations between Keizer and Salem....jeez....I stop at the first gas station I see. Which happens to be a small ma and pa. I'm the only customer, I pull up, roll down my window, turn off my car and.....wait.....and......wait....about 5 minutes (or what seemed like 5 minutes) later a little guy came shooting out of the store, came to my window, "I'm sorry for the wait, thank you for stopping in today, what can I get you?" "Fill it up with regular" as I handed him my debit. What happened next can only be described as comical....unfortunately I was not laughing: gas attendant - "ma'am, can I have your card back, I didn't push "fill"...only put in .08 worth" I handed him my card again...he goes to swipe again, pushes a button and the tank starts filling, "oh, I guess I didn't need to run it again...its okay" handed my card back and waited for the 14.7 gallons to finish filling. He puts the nozzle back in its rightful place, puts the gas cap on, closes the little door and a woman comes out of the store...."it did not process, you didn't not push the right button, need her to come in and ring it inside". gas attendant - "i'm so sorry ma'am, but we need you to go inside and pay...I messed up, I am sorry, I am new and still trying to learn..." He was a precious little fellow, and all I could do was smile and say, "it's okay" over and over and over again. However, I think he could sense my impatience and frustration. I went inside to pay, however that was a little slowed up because the woman couldn't get it to do whatever 'it' needed to do in order to let me pay..."you need to push pump 3" says the gas attendant. She finally got it and the gas attendant went back outside while I signed my receipt. When I left the store I saw the guy washing my windshield as he started apologizing the minute I walked out the door. "it's okay", I repeated. I got in my truck and he was working on the passenger side, I turned on my car and the windshield wipers were still on, striking his squeegy has he attempted to clean. He backed away I tried to smile and tell him not to worry about the window and then barreled out of there (not really barrelled...my heart barrelled out of there, but I think I maintained a safe composure in my foot)
4:15pm - back on the road.
I was becoming more settled in bones, as my father had not yet called and by the time I reached Monroe at 5:15, he still had not called. I did a drive by at the house and saw their company was still there. I made a huge sigh of relief. "Thank God! I'm not late". I decided to go to the Dari Mart and pick up a scratch it Bingo card to pass the time, figuring I would park at Dad's trailer until the company left or 6pm arrived...whichever came first. As soon as I pulled down the road, I saw the car pulling out of grandma's driveway, so pulled in right after they pulled out. Dad was just getting ready to call me. It was 5:30...right on time!
That night as I met with the Lord I was reminded of Proverbs 16:9. Considering how my attitude became harsher with each passing minute and the frustration of feeling late and the annoyance of things that made me late ensuing my impatient behavior. Then I thought of the gas attendant and how he was trying to do a good job, and how bad he felt about messing up and because I was too caught up in my own plan of how the day was to work out for me, I failed to consider how his day was working out for him, and how God's plan was working out for us. "A man's heart plans his way, BUT the LORD directs his steps"....God was directing my steps this day...and I did not bend. And there is so much of me that believes everything that made me 'late' that day was intended for that brief meeting with the gas attendant...and what he needed. Did I miss it?
God didn't let me down..He allowed grandma's company to be late, which caused them to stay longer, which gave me time to get home before Dad needed to leave. I continue to pray for that gas attendant...there was something beyond sight occuring at that moment...occuring in his life....and I pray for a yielding spirit, one that is more committed to God's direction than my plans.