A Cream Puff

It had been an emotional few days. Writing and publishing my memoir took twenty-eight years, and I was finally completing the final phase of my dream, delivering my book to the man who wanted to read it, my boyfriend, Larry's, Dad. I traveled over seven hours to bring my book to Larry's father and spent time with him and Larry's aunt, and then I visited the cemetery where Larry was buried. Finding his grave was a difficult task that required several hours of searching but finding it was a blessing. Finally, I felt like I was close to him once again. My next phase in my journey involved traveling to Michigan. I spent an afternoon at the pier watching the coastguards search for yet another body who had drowned. I also reached out to the woman whose husband had drowned a few days before. Then I gave my book to Larry's friend who watched him drown and was not received well. The rain had just begun, I was in tears and exhausted as I traveled to find a place to stay for the night. I was parked at a light waiting to turn when I was rear-ended by the car behind me. When I got out to assess the damage, I knew my car was in trouble. My bumper was almost dislodged from the body of the car, the trunk was damaged, and the turning signal lights were hanging at an odd angle. I called the police. They came almost immediately and quickly filed an accident report. I was physically and emotionally exhausted by that point. All I wanted to do was to find a place to sleep, but all the hotels were full, so I ended up sleeping in my car. I was exhausted by that point.

Unraveling the red tape to get my car fixed took several weeks. In the meantime, my car bumper was held together with duct tape. I was worried my car was totaled, but I had to wait for insurance and the body shop to evaluate everything. This week my fears were confirmed. The damage was indeed more than my car was worth. I would have to search for a new car. All week was spent resolving all the details with my old car and searching for a new one. I kept praying that God would help me. All week God kept telling me, "I am with you."

I knew I had to take a day off work, so I did. For some reason, I was drawn to a dealership an hour and a half away. They had a car like what I had three years before. So I scheduled an appointment to see the car. I woke up the day of the appointment and thought about canceling. But I spent time in prayer and heard God prompting me to go. I asked God to help me find the car I needed. My long trip allowed me more time to listen to the grief certification training I needed to complete that week.

When I finally arrived at the dealership, Cody, the man I was scheduled to work with, took me to the car I'd wanted to see. After I test drove the car, I told Cody that I needed to look at other cars to ensure I was getting the right one for my needs. I couldn't just buy a car to buy a car. I did that three years before, and it ended up being a car that couldn't handle stress. Any pressure or knocks on the outside of it and it dented in. The recent accident was proof. It crumbled when it was hit, and it totaled my car. I had to find one that would hold up, and it had to be one that I was happy with. Thankfully Cody listened. We talked about my budget, and he carefully ran the numbers to ensure I stayed within that budget. We talked about the options, and Cody helped me search through his entire used car inventory. We'd find one, and then I'd test drive it. I test drove most of the cars on the lot that were within my budget and that fit my needs. We searched through the entire inventory of cars, almost exhausting our search. Suddenly a man who worked in the dealership came up to me."That's the car you want," he said, pointing to a black car across from me.

Cody and I went in and looked at the inventory again. That car was our last car on the list. It was one of the most recent cars to arrive on the lot. We both looked at the price and the mileage, and all of the details about the car. It was a car that had less than 1200 miles. Both of us were shocked.

"The person must have only driven to the grocery store and church," Cody said. We ran the cost. It was slightly over my budget, but it was well worth the price. It was like a brand-new car. Cody ran to get the keys, and I test drove the car.

"This is the one," I said as I drove. It fit me perfectly, and it had the leather seats I wanted. The car was in mint condition, and the mileage was too good to pass up. The man was right. We had found the cream puff, the best deal on the lot. Cody began the paperwork. A little while later, the man that told me about the car came by. "Did you get the car?" he asked.

"I sure did." He raised his hand, and I gave him a high five.

"I told you it was the car," he said smiling.

"You were right. It is an awesome car. Thank you for telling me about it!"

"Here," he said, handing me a cowbell. "Everyone gets to ring this when they find their car."

When I rang the bell, the entire team in the dealership clapped and cheered. It was an amazing experience. God was so right He sent me to the perfect place. I was super thankful for Cody's time and patience. Finally, with his help, I found the car that was right for me, a car with less than 1200 miles. God had answered my prayers.

I don't know what your needs are today, but I know that God has a plan. If God can provide such a deal for me, I know that He will supply your needs. Father, today I ask that you provide for the needs of the people reading this. May you fill the desires of their heart. Provide them with what they need today, Father. Help them know where to go, what to do, who to talk to, and how to proceed. Thank you, Father, for your goodness. Thank you for providing what we need when we need to. Amen.