Barry: If we only
knew how many times we are rescued by divine intervention, we would completely
trust this higher power. There would then be nothing to worry about – ever!
Joyce and I had yet another powerful reminder of this truth – and divine
miracle – last week.
In honor of both of us turning seventy this month (there’s
no more denying it – we are both seniors!), we rented our favorite house in
Hana, Maui, for eight days, and had a wonderful vacation with our three grown
children, one of our children’s significant other, and our five-year-old
grandson. Six weeks post-op from a partial knee replacement, it was a real joy
for me to actually hike without pain for the first time in several years.
On the way back to the airport from remote Hana, we had a
flat tire. No problem! Even at seventy, I was confident that I could change a
tire in less than ten minutes. We had left an extra hour early just in case. I
opened the trunk of the rental car, emptied out all our luggage, and lifted up
the flap to expose the spare tire. There was no spare tire! Instead, there was
a small twelve-volt air pump and a “flat-fixer” that somehow attached to it. Our
son, John-Nuri, who was in our car, figured out how to attach the “flat-fixer.”
I plugged in the pump and watched, satisfied, as the tire started to inflate.
Turning off and removing the pump, we heard the loud hiss
and realized the flat was not fixed. “Okay, everyone back in the car,” I
ordered. “Let’s see how far we can travel with the leak.”
We were maybe forty-five minutes from the airport. I started
driving. Five minutes later, the tire pressure was obviously too low to
continue driving. I pulled over and we repeated the process, hoping the
“flat-fixer” might work after a second try.
No luck! I got another five minutes closer to the airport.
(Note to self: never, ever, rent a car without a spare tire!)
Now we recognized we were in trouble. John-Nuri’s flight was
twenty minutes earlier than ours, so we needed to reach our daughters, Rami and
Mira, who were ahead of us somewhere. We finally did, and they doubled back to
meet us. I had the brilliant thought to check if their car had a spare tire. It
did! But the tire iron did not fit our tires nuts! No luck there!
John-Nuri squeezed into their car with his luggage, and off
they went. Our children felt terrible leaving us on the side of the road. Joyce
and I understood the reality that we very likely would miss our flight home.
First, we called the rental car company to see if they could help. All they
could do was refer us to a taxi company, who we immediately called. They said
they could come get us in three hours. Great! We were told that we could leave
the rental car on the side of the road and they would come and get it in a
matter of hours.
Joyce: My main
discipline right now is to try to see everything as an opportunity to trust
more fully in God. When the tire went flat, I was sure that somehow the angels
would come down and magically fix the tire or, at the very least, allow us to
get to the airport. While Barry and our son were using the pump, I put my hands
on the tire and prayed for a miracle. I visualized the tire surrounded in
light. But then it became apparent that this car was not going to get us to the
airport.
Barry and I pulled all of our luggage out of the car and
stood on the side of the road. We were both praying for help and we must have
looked rather pathetic, two senior citizens standing by their luggage, waving
their hands and begging for help on the side of a very remote and winding road.
Twenty minutes went by and not one vehicle stopped. It was now 12:10 and our
flight was at 1:20. We were still at least 35 minutes from the airport, and
knew the airlines had a strict policy. We would not be able to check in less
than 40 minutes before our flight. We got a very sinking feeling inside that
the plane with our family would leave without us, and we would have to wait
until the next day, with no place to stay and no car to drive.
An old white van pulled up with two Hawaiian men. It was a
son, perhaps in his forties, and his elderly father. They listened to our sad
story and agreed to take us to the airport. The son told us he doubted we would
make it in time for the flight, but the father said, “Let’s give it a try,” and
off we went.
We told them how grateful we were and the son said, “I’ve
learned that all of life is meant to be lived in gratitude. Gratitude is the
key to a good life.” When asked if we could pay them, the father said that the
best payment would be to “pay it forward” and help someone else.
The town of Paia, which is normally very congested with
traffic, was totally clear and we sailed right through what can take an extra
half hour. The son knew of a short cut that was just completed. He miraculously
got us to the airport one minute before the 40 minute deadline. The Hawaiians
told us to run and we took off. The gate agents took our bags and again told us
to hurry as fast as we could.
We were the last people on the plane, sweating and out of
breath, but we made it. Our children were thrilled and surprised! As I sat in my seat and closed my eyes, I
distinctly heard my inner voice quietly say, “Trust Me, I have your back!” This was yet another opportunity to trust.
Joyce & Barry Vissell, a nurse/therapist and psychiatrist
couple since 1964, are
counselors near Santa Cruz, CA, who are widely regarded as among the world's
top experts on conscious relationship and personal growth. They are the authors of The
Shared Heart, Models of Love, Risk to Be Healed, The Heart’s
Wisdom, Meant to Be, and A Mother’s Final Gift.
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