Every Day Curve Balls
Today I took my daughter to get braces fitted on her teeth. This was a long awaited day. As we pulled into the orthodontist’s parking lot the car lurched on the uneven road surface. I intuitively felt I needed to check the tires. I was shocked when I saw that the tread was starting to peel away on the front left tire and the edge was bald.
Once I got my daughter settled in the office I called my husband and said, “I don’t want to get on the highway with the tire peeling apart.” He advised me to go to the Sears Auto Center in El Cajon after first calling ahead to see how busy they were. Fortunately I had my book of San Diego maps in the car, and with the help of the receptionist I mapped a route that avoided the highway.
Abdul, the man who helped us at Sears, said it would take an hour and a half to put on two front tires and do an alignment. My daughter and I walked the short distance to the Parkway Plaza Mall to entertain ourselves. It’s one of the few malls in the San Diego area that’s all enclosed. Most of the malls here are open because of the year round mild weather.
Her favorite store for browsing was a clothing store called C28. She was excited by their spring line of graphic t-shirts. While she was trying them on, I amused myself by looking at pewter rings that were on a rack next to the dressing room. That’s when I realized that the store had a Christian theme. The only ring that fit my finger was one that was inscribed with the words, Faith, Hope and Love. I needed a ring to wear because I could no longer fit into my wedding rings, and it only cost $7.99. I bought a shirt for my daughter and the ring for myself and I put it on with “Love” facing outward.
When I got home, I saw that the ring also had an inscription on the inside, 1 Cor. 13:13. I looked it up in our NRSV Harper Study Bible, and it said “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
Today had it’s share of curve balls, including the news that we have an additional $400 of work that needs to be done on the car. My daughter suffered a lot of discomfort from her newly fitted braces and I’m hoping she will be able to be compliant with all the new rules that come with having braces. But now it is evening and we are safe at home. I’m not complaining.
