"thank You Lord!"

I received a phone call from my wife the other day; she was upset.  She told me that she had been involved in a traffic accident.  My first question was:  "Are you hurt?"  Fortunately the answer was no.  My second question was:  "Was anyone in the other car injured?"  Fortunately, again the answer was no.  Beyond that the only thing to say is, "Thank you Lord!"...

One of the reasons for my wife's upset was that the car, (a 2002 Toyota Camry) had originally belonged to my mother who "cherished and babied" that car.  Upon her death we inherited the car and though 15 years old it only had 25,000 miles on it.  (Even today it only has 68,000 miles.). So the car, in addition to being a wonderful "back up" car has sentimental value.  My wife said, "I've always felt a responsibility to take good care of this car because it reminds me of your mother and the way she took care of her things."  Still, it's only a car.  We can say "goodby" to it and one day we will have to (right now we are trying to get it fixed).  But damaged or lost people are another thing.  People can not be replaced.

Living in Oklahoma I've often seen the results of tornado's and other violent storms.  Some people loose cars, houses, and almost all their worldly possessions.  But so many times I've heard them say, "Our family is ok; Thank God we all survived the storm."  That is the perspective of people of faith.  Loss of property sometimes helps us reconsider what it is that we truly value in life.  So, for my wife's latest "finder bender" I say:  "Thank you Lord!"  All involved are safe and all are well and that's all that truly matters.