Today was such a bittersweet day. I just felt like I was on a roller coaster all day. It started off by waking up before my alarm because the sun was nice and bright outside due to Daylight Savings ending last night. I also must've slept on my back wrong since it seemed quite sore this morning which probably added to my waking up earlier than desired.
I got up and went to church this morning (the first in quite some time due to essentially working through each weekend at the office). It was such a sweet time of worship and hearing the Word. They played a few of my more favorite praise songs and I just felt challenged today by the message on deception. I loved the thought of pursuing love, faith, and peace and following what makes me want to do right. I was particularly challenged by the idea of always being quick to the truth about one's life and the thought that if I choose to argue/defend against my lack of character observed by others, then I will never gain more character. It's so in my nature to try and defend myself and exonerate from any wrong, but why argue about them if they are really true. Why can I not be quick to accept the truth and learn from it to change from inside out?
Coming home, I checked work email quickly to make sure nothing was pressing and then headed out to Buena Vista to visit my parents for the day. It was a beautiful day and perfect for a drive to the mountains. I had the sunroof open, Dr. Pepper in the car and the music going. The temperatures were warmer, the sun was shining, the sky was clear and so blue and the mountains had their snow caps on. It was great until I took a curve a little too quick and proceeded to hit some loose dirt/gravel with one of my way too bare back tires. This caused my beautiful afternoon drive to become quite depressing as I fishtailed and lost control of the car. I managed to swing it around 180 degrees to the oncoming lane, but ran out of road and shoulder and offered up a quick prayer to God as I went over the side of the road and rolled the car.
I am so thankful for God's protection on me, on others around me on the road, and for good weather. As I came to a halt, I just sat there making sure nothing else was going to happen before proceeding to get out of the car. Other cars up on the road see me and had pulled around to make sure any assistance that may be needed could be provided by them or by others. I am thankful that I was in a coverage area where my cell phone worked and was able to call 911, I am thankful my parents were home to answer when I called them as well. I am thankful for the public servants (fire, sheriff, state patrol) who were very gracious and kind to offer me water as well as a ride to meet my parents whom had opted to drive out and meet up with me halfway. I am thankful for only having sore muscles and sustaining a minor skinned knee.
After getting things resolved and getting a citation (of course, the state trooper seemed apologetic that he even had to give it to me, but it was warranted), my parents and I drove back to their place where I had an opportunity to just relax, calm my nerves and enjoy a visit and dinner before heading back home. I am thankful for their extra car and their willingness to let me use it for the time being and I am thankful for the full moon tonight which shined very brightly and reflected well off the large amount of snow still on the ground from the storm last week.
As I drove home, I was able to appreciate the beauty and stillness of the night with how bright everything was and seeing the snow caps on the mountains reflecting the moonlight. It seemed almost magical.
I am very sad that my car is wrecked and am wondering what the adjuster will say as to whether its repairable or not. I really did like that car and even more so now that it kept me safe in my first major accident.
The highs and lows have exhausted me today. That's way more than I want to experience on a typical weekend. I thank God for His protection over me, for the beauty of His creation that He allowed me to enjoy today, for the opportunity to be worshipping Him this morning, and the opportunity to visit my parents this afternoon.
Maybe the week will be less uneventful...
