*Scenario 1*
This summer as I was driving back and forth to jr. college I was asked to pick up a new battery for a riding lawn mower. I was already stopping by Walmart to pick up some other things, so after class I went by the store before heading to volunteer at the in-patient rehab hospital. I was so proud of myself for getting the right kind and size of battery--and that I put the battery inside the truck so that it didn't get stolen as I parked in kind of a sketchy employee parking lot behind the hospital. (FYI, for those of you who don't regularly buy automotive batteries, they can be $60+ and I didn't want it to get stolen!)
Well, four hours later I get off the shuttle bus, walk to the truck, open the door to throw my purse in the back and gasp... the battery was bubbling and had this purple liquid oozing out of the top! The cab had gotten so hot that the battery overheated and started to spill out all the wonderful acids inside...
The floor mat was almost totally destroyed. The carpet underneath the mat was completely de-fuzzed and it was a huge sticky mess covered in acid. And I knew I was busted for damaging a vehicle that wasn't even mine!
I picked up my friend from the jr. college and Peter from work and he drove home because I was upset and totally freaked out that I would be yelled at and would be forbidden to borrow the car again.
I got back and walked up to the door trying to figure out what to say. I burst into tears and could barely get the words out as I struggled to explain how sorry I was and how I didn't mean to damage the truck.
And then I found myself wrapped in a hug and told that the only thing that mattered was that I was safe and the battery hadn't exploded or the acid gotten onto me. The car would be fine, and I was way more precious. Then we got the hose, some baking soda, and tons of old rags to neutralize the acid and salvage what we could of the car mat. We stayed outside together for about an hour taking care of the mess and no one ever mentioned that I should pay for a new set of car mats or any remarks about me being stupid. Nothing. Just happiness that I was OK and that it really wasn't that big of a deal. It was just a car.
*Scenario 2*
My laptop started freaking out at the end of the spring semester--randomly shutting down for no reason. I worked with it for a few weeks, borrowed Peter's cooling stand, and shut it off when I wasn't using it. This summer as I was doing homework online and dealing with emails about college and Sophomore Advisor events with the honors dorm the laptop started flipping out again. I finally took it in to get fixed. $153 later I had a new processor and the stern warning to not set my computer on the bed or a soft surface that would block the fan air intake so I didn't overheat and fry the processor again. (Yeah, I probably should have known that... but I didn't.)
All was well and good until about a week ago. My computer started shutting down again and even when I let it cool down it wouldn't even start up enough to let me log in before shutting down. I was so frustrated and called home to get some advice. 6 hours later I got a call and decided on a new laptop. 4 days later I come back from my lab mid-term practical to find the Dell box sitting on my desk. I didn't have to complain and convince anyone that my computer was really broken. I didn't have to appeal to an authority with a proposal after doing all my research. I made my need known and found my need provided for quickly!
See, in neither of those situations did I deserve the response that I got. I deserved to pay for new car mats and have my driving privileges revoked. I deserved to pay for a new computer and have to deal with doing all the research myself and try to not get ripped off.
But love reaches out to those that know they don't deserve it. Love loves to go above and beyond--just because. Love sees the unspoken needs for acceptance and trust and lays aside the teaching moment until later. Love reaches out and gives of its own time and energy to help another person. Love acts and acts quickly. Love loves with no expectation of receiving anything back.
And that's my dad. By these two situations he has shown me incredible love. He has shown the chivalrous side of the knight coming to rescue the damsel in distress and the protective and providing side of an attentive and caring parent. He had my best interest at heart and even sought to find a pink laptop with a webcam--even without me asking! When someone noticed the car mats, he never said it was my fault, only that we had something spill and eat through part of the mat. I knew that we had taken care of it, he knew he didn't need to lecture me, and we both know it's behind us.
Love sees. Love reaches out. Love gives. And Love forgives and forgets.
This is a song that I came across a few weeks ago... if you're not into Christian techno/rap, please still give this a full listen-through!
1 comment:
Kate, you have an awesome father!
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