One of my older sisters had invited me for an early lunch on Thursday. I drove to her house which was around ten minutes away and from there we were driving together since the restaurant was thirty minutes away. She met me outside as I drove up her driveway. I asked, “Your car or mine?” She said, “Let’s take yours and I will drive since I know where the restaurant is.” I let her drive since I’m still recovering from a vertigo episode.
Unfortunately, just as she was driving in front of the restaurant, I heard a pop sound. And while looking for a parking space, we heard a strange noise. I said, “What’s that noise?” We both realized at the same time that we had a flat tire. We parked and got out to find the rear driver side tire was flat. Bummer!
Her husband was meeting us for lunch so we decided to go inside and eat first and then worry about the flat tire afterwards.
We were almost done with lunch when it started pouring rain. There was like a seventy percent chance of rain that day.
Luckily, as we were walking out the restaurant, the rain stopped, but I could see more dark rain clouds coming our way. I said to God, “God, help us get that tire changed.”
My sweet sixty-seven year old brother-in-law was stuck changing my tire. I figured he would have it changed in no time before the rain starts up again, but it wasn’t as easy as we thought it would be.
We got the manual out to figure out where the tools were. As he got the tools out, I saw how tiny the jack was. I thought, “Wow! That little jack is going to raise my 2017 Buick Enclave? It’s a heavy vehicle and it has big tires!”
Then it starts raining so I get into the front passenger seat. I figured I’m no help so I might as well stay dry. The best I could do was hand my sister my umbrella as she was assisting her husband with the flat tire.
My brother-in-law was having a little trouble finding the right location to put the jack. It has to be put in a certain spot or the vehicle might fall or it might damage the vehicle. I was worried about him since I noticed he was breathing a little hard due to his smoking habit.
After a while he finally got the jack in the right place. Again, I looked up to the dark blue sky and said in my mind, “God, help us get this tire changed.”
Out of nowhere, an older gentleman walked up and said to my sister, “I have a floor jack in my truck if you need it.” “Sure!” She said excitedly. The man was parked three spaces down. The back lift gate to my Enclave was open so I could hear what was going on.
Then I heard the sound of the floor jack’s wheels on the asphalt getting closer. The man pulled it up to the rear of the Enclave and it went way high with no problem. I said, “Thank you, God!”
I was looking back from the passenger side, trying to get a good look at this older man. I was beginning to wonder if this was God’s doing. I thought, “Who carries around a floor jack in their truck? And how did he get it down himself since its a heavy thing? He’s a small framed man and doesn’t look very strong. Is he an Angel sent from God?”
He was wearing a cap and a thought came to my mind that I should look at the front of his cap. Maybe I would see some type of sign that he was sent from heaven, some wording or something.
As I finally got a good look at it, I gasped. His cap had beautiful white wings with the words Commemorative Air Force on it. (I later looked up Commemorative Air Force and found this website with the caps.) https://caf-gift-shop.myshopify.com/products/caf-hat I thought, “Oh my goodness, is he an Angel or is all this just coincidental?”
When my sister walked over to the front of the car, I said, “Look at his cap, look at his cap!” She looked and her mouth dropped. She hadn’t noticed.
I watched his every move. He actually took over removing the tire to help my brother. He took the tire off and was carrying it with no problem as my brother-in-law placed the spare. He looked much older than my sixty-seven year old brother. He was slim and wasn’t muscular so I was amazed how he was able to hold that big tire for several minutes with no problem. He wasn’t even breathing hard.
Then, as he reached in to place the flat tire in the back of the Enclave, I said to him, “Thank you for your help.”
He stopped, looked up at me and said in a commanding and firm tone, but in a nice way, “You! Do not need to thank me.” It felt like an order. I was a little bit surprised by his response and wondered why he wouldn’t want me to thank him. I thought maybe if he is an Angel and God did send him, saying thank you is not required? After that response, I kept quiet.
The older man took off with his new floor jack back to his truck and we all left. My sister drove back to her house and then I met my husband at Discount Tire to buy four new tires. The Enclave was over-due for new tires.
Sometimes it’s hard to be certain if someone is an Angel even though the signs are there.
I mean, I asked God for help. A man shows up at the same parking lot and at the right time with just what we need, a brand new floor jack in the back of his truck. He has white wings on his cap; he’s strong and says no need for thank you. Oh did I mention that the Church bells were ringing in the distance. When you put all those signs together, it makes sense to say he must have been an Angel. A heavenly helper.
And if he wasn’t an Angel, well, God must have put him there at the right place, the right time, with a new floor jack in his truck, and wearing a cap with white wings, right?
God is always watching and listening! We just need to pay attention to the little signs that he gives us to let us know that he is there. My goodness, my brother-in-law didn’t even notice the man’s cap with the white wings. I had to point it out to my sister.
After a few days past, I thought, “How silly of me. After everything I have experienced, I should have no doubt that God did send me an Angel to help us with the flat tire.
Thank you so much God for all your help!