Miracles News

April-June, 2015

Living in the World While Waking Up

by Rev. Tarra Bennett, O.M.C.

Rev. Tarra Bennett My husband and I were returning from our Christmas vacation by car, which is not exactly the time of year for exploring as the back roads are sometimes blocked by snow. However the scenery can be very beautiful along the ocean towns where we live, even in wintertime, so we decided to treat ourselves as we had the entire day.

The first three towns we visited had easy access and the drive through each town was relaxing and scenic.

However, the fourth town that we decided to check out was on a dirt road that extended twenty-five kilometers off the main highway. My husband, Steve, was having second thoughts due to the distance and the road. However, he decided to go along with me since I really wanted to explore. Knowing that it was a dirt road, it would be more remote and more inviting for me.

The road was very bumpy with a few potholes and we were surrounded by the freshly fallen untouched snow. As we got within a kilometer of the town, my husband suddenly stopped the car and said, “I need to check something.” He got out and walked around the car. I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw him standing, looking off in the distance.

I knew that he wasn’t just enjoying the scenery. I asked him if everything was okay and he responded with, “we have a flat.”

I got out of the car to assess the situation with him. We decided to put air in the tire, but it didn’t hold because of the split in the side. We both looked at each other and smiled, feeling a little nervousness in the pit of our stomachs. My husband knew that we had a donut, but the closest garage that we knew of was 100 kilometers away and we didn’t want to drive that distance on a donut, especially since it was late Saturday afternoon, Christmas time, the weather was beginning to look increasingly stormy, and if we didn’t get a new tire today, we’d likely have to wait until Monday.

We decided to walk into town because maybe there would be a garage that could either sell us a new tire, or fix our deflated tire. We walked along holding hands and enjoyed how the silence evoked a peaceful feeling.

As we approached the town there was a man walking in his yard. He stopped and looked at us and asked if we needed anything. We asked if there was a garage in town. He replied, “No, no one lives here. This is one of the towns that was relocated forty years ago. My wife and I had no intentions of being here today, but we decided to stop by anyway and check on our cottage.

We asked if we could phone a garage nearby and he said, “There is no cell service in this area.” He asked us where we were located. We told him about a kilometer down the road. He offered to help us and said he would come by with his truck.

John arrived about ten minutes later. He too tried putting air in the tire and didn’t succeed. He then tried to fix the tire with a kit he had; it didn’t work either. Steve was trying to remove from the trunk of our car the tools to remove the tire, but it was full of luggage so John suggested using his tools. John removed the tire, tried to fix it, and couldn’t.

My husband dug out the spare. He had all contents on the ground in the snow. John decided to take over and replace the tire for us. Within minutes, he had replaced the tire, easily and effortlessly.

We offered him money for his efforts and kindness, he said, “I’m just happy to help you, and sorry I couldn’t do more for you.” He was great. Good east coast hospitality. We said goodbye and we were off. It would be getting dark soon.

My husband started driving back to the highway, but we soon came upon a steep hill. It had been no problem on the way in going down the hill, but going back up the hill with a donut to replace one of our front tires (our car is front-wheel drive), and in the snow, wasn’t quite so easy. We had trouble gaining traction and found ourselves stuck halfway up the hill.

Luckily, there were a few single lines of dirt off to the side of the road. I suggested driving the car so that our good tire would hit those lines of dirt, thereby providing traction.

Steve backed up the car (a risky proposition on a hill that you can’t get to the top of) so that our good front tire was in line with the dirt. He then got out of the car and let me take over the driving. He tried pushing while I tried to slowly give enough gas to get the car moving forward again. The donut was spinning madly in the snow, but the gravel managed to give our good tire enough traction that we could slowly start to build momentum and soon we were at the top of the hill. Thank goodness we made it.

Steve then got in the car on the passenger’s side and I continued to drive. We still had to drive about 20 kilometers to get back to the highway, but we soon made it. By now it was starting to get dark. The closest town was still an hour’s drive away and it was starting to snow again. We knew that in order to get to there, we would have to drive another eighty kilometers on a spare, which you are only supposed to travel fifty kilometers on.

It was snowing heavy, drifting, and the snow was collecting rapidly on the road. I was alert and very focused on driving.

We made it just in time. We pulled up to the garage at five p.m. closing time. The mechanic had washed up and was removing his coveralls. The garage had just closed, but the lights were still on.

I knocked on the window so the mechanic could see me. He stepped outside to see what I wanted. We explained our situation and he said, “If you check with the front office and they approve it I will fix it for you.”

Steve stayed with the mechanic. I quickly drove to the front of the building and ran inside to speak with the attendant. He said, “Sorry, we are closed.” I responded with, “The mechanic is willing to fix it, if he has your approval.” He sent one of the other workers out to approve the work order without much convincing.

The mechanic removed the tire, checked it, and said that we needed to replace it. He checked his stock and found that he had one tire that would fit the car from last year’s stock. He sold it to us for half price.

It was fixed, and we were finished in half an hour. We thanked the mechanic and off we went feeling happy. We still had another thirty-minute drive to get home. Steve drove, and as we drove home we reflected on how beautiful the day was, and how everything unfolded with such ease and grace. Not once did either of us blame each other. We stayed supportive and in good spirits all the way through the ordeal by applying the principles of “A Course in Miracles.”

My husband and I are both avid students of A Course in Miracles.

There was a time in our lives when the same situation would not have flowed so easily.

Rev. Tarra Bennett, O.M.C., is a Pathways of Light minister living in Grand Beach, Newfoundland Canada.
Email:tarrabennett@gmail.com Website: http://www.healingfromwith.ca, www.schoolofforgiveness.com

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