We were so excited. Our daughter, Kathleen, was coming down to spend a couple of weeks with us. Kathi is a fine schoolteacher who lives and teaches in northern Georgia. We’d planned all kinds of things, yet left plenty of time for Yahtzee, Scrabble, just plain ol’ yakking, etc.

Kathi brought her terrific chihuahua along. What a dog. Looks a lot like the dog in the commercials, only with more personality and better looks. He doesn’t talk quite as well as the one on T.V., but Kathi has an attorney standing by to plan Leezard’s career when his speaking ability improves!

The days seemed to move by rather quickly. None of us wanted the visit to end, but it did. Kathi invited her niece, our granddaughter, Rachael, to go back with her and spend a week.

Sunday, around 5:15 am, they finished loading the car and headed up I-75. About 2:00 pm, the phone rang. It seemed a little early for Kathi’s “I got home all right” phone call. Her message was brief. She said, “Dad, my car totally quit running. I’ve got a youngster; a tiny dog; it’s 105 degrees; what should I do?”

Kathi is a very resourceful person. When something needs fixing in her home, she fixes it. If she doesn’t know how, she finds someone at her local Lowe’s who does have expertise and picks their brain until it’s empty. However, she’s not a mechanic. She doesn’t even play one on television!

There they were. Stranded on the south side of Atlanta in a “not too safe” neighborhood. No one wanted an animal inside their store, so the heat was a big factor. She’d already called AAA for a tow, but didn’t really have any place to which it could be towed.

I took her number, asked her to stick around for a few minutes, and called Mr. Connie! “Mr. Connie” is actually one of my very best friends, Charlie. He’s married to a lovely gal named Connie whom I call “Mrs. Charlie”. I’m not even sure when I started playing with their names, but it was many, many years ago. Charlie and I have been friends for more than twenty-three years. He was the producer and the main guitarist on my album, “Grandma’s Songs”. You can check out his work atGrandma’s Songs

I said, “Charlie. What’s going on? Can you help me?” He didn’t ask me what I needed or attach any conditions to his response. He just said, “Sure”. What a friend. He immediately left his home and headed for Kathi’s location. He loaded them into his AIR CONDITIONED car. He visited with the AAA tow truck driver. Turned out that the driver was a Christian. He put Kathi’s car “on the hook” and hauled her to one of the Pep Boy’s Auto stores.

Here it is, getting late on a Sunday afternoon, and everyone showed up at a place that fixes cars. However, their solution included fixing her car sometime Monday after lunch. Well, this didn’t daunt good ol’ Charlie. He decided that he’d take everyone to the new home he and Connie just moved into and have some good fellowship.

Well, turned out that God had other plans. Kathi really wanted to get on home. The wrecker driver went in and had a brief conversation with one of the Pep Boys. Five minutes later, a Pep Boy came out, said that a bay had just opened and that he’d be glad to fix her car right then and there. A new alternator, that’s what it took. Everyone arrived at their respective homes. Charlie went home, knowing that he’d done what a friend does: he’d put the needs of a friend and his family ahead of his own. Kathleen, Rachael and Leezard got home just a couple of hours later than they’d planned. No lasting harm, no foul!

Do you want to check out the quality of a friendship you think you have? Just ask for help and see what the response is. Unconditional friendship. What a blessing!

This story has been so simple and simply told that attempting to list any Life Lessons would seem a bit silly. Maybe you’ll draw some conclusions of your own. Maybe you’ll just pause and thank God for your friends. Perhaps you’ll think through your response to those who ask for your help in a time of trouble. Yeah, there’s probably lots of stuff about which to think hidden in this simple story. Thanks, Kathi, for doing exactly the right things to protect you and your precious cargo. Thanks, Charlie, for not just expressing willingness to help, but actually helping. Thanks, Lord, for bringing the right people together at the right time to solve what easily could have been a serious problem.

If you want to comment or share your story with me, use the “Leave a Reply” box below!

Next Inside Out          Gallery              Previous Inside Out