God's Glorious Gift of Perfect Timing

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven . . . a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance . . .a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away . . .(Ecclesiastes 3:1,4,6 KJV).
           
“Mom, I’m so sorry. We’ve been in a wreck, and I think your car is totaled.”
 
My daughter is almost sobbing as she recounts how she, her husband, and my grandson were hit by a woman running a red light. While sad that I had lost a good old faithful vehicle, I was obviously more concerned about my loved ones’ well-being. A vehicle can always be replaced. My daughter and her family suffered injuries, but fortunately, the injuries were not life-threatening.
 
Two months prior, on their way from North Carolina to Alabama, their vehicle suffered a catastrophic engine failure. I allowed them to drive my 2007 Toyota Highlander while their vehicle had its engine replaced. Ordering a new engine and parts took much longer than anticipated so they had to keep mine for a while and drive it back to North Carolina.
 
Buckle your seatbelt. Get ready for a fascinating trip:
 
The accident with my Toyota occurred on February 13, 2025.  
 
On February 15, 2025, a letter from the State of Alabama arrived. The letter was an Unclaimed/Abandoned Notice of Termination for an abandoned 2011 Silver Mustang. It was dated February 11th (two days prior to the accident). Interesting timing, but I thought it was a joke and/or a scam. Why? Because I used to own a 2011 Silver Mustang. Well, according to the State of Alabama I still owned it.
 
Two years ago (in February 2023), my husband gave me a 2011 Silver Mustang as an anniversary/birthday present. I’ve loved Mustangs since I was a teenager. Yes, it’s true that getting in and out of a Mustang is a little easier for a teenager than a grandmother in her mid-sixties, but wow was it a cool car.
 
Unfortunately, within three months of getting the Mustang, my husband’s vehicle broke down. We decided to trade in my Mustang for a more reliable vehicle for my husband. I hated to get rid of that Mustang, but at the time, it was the right thing to do. We traded it to a small dealership here in town and walked away. After all, I still owned my old faithful 2007 Toyota Highlander, and the Mustang was just a toy for an old woman.
 
But according to the State of Alabama that little silver toy was still mine. The State was letting me know that a tinting shop in town was getting ready to auction off my “abandoned” vehicle, but I had the right to redeem it.
 
On Monday February 17, 2025, my husband I drove to the tinting shop. There was a nice shiny silver Mustang sitting in front of the shop. How cool, the owner of the shop must own a Mustang.
 
Well, that nice shiny Mustang was mine. The shop owner had detailed it, cleaned it up, and it looked fabulous. We discovered that the dealer to whom we had traded the Mustang two years prior had taken it to the tinting shop to have it detailed. He ultimately abandoned it. The tinting shop had it for over fifteen months. They went through all the necessary paperwork to make sure they registered everything with the State before taking it to auction.
 
On February 25, 2025 (two years and one day from original purchase), this silver-haired grandmother redeemed her little toy by paying the tinting shop for their work and storage fees. Two days later, I went to the County to pay for a replacement title.
 
Today, March 8, 2025, I received my new replacement title.
 
To satisfy my curiosity on God’s timing, I pulled out my old 2023 paperwork.
 
EXACTLY TWO YEARS AGO on March 8, 2023, the State of Alabama issued me the title to my 2011 Silver Mustang.
 
What does it all mean? 

I could get all philosophical and theological and ultimately ruin the pleasure of enjoying a wonderful gift. 

Sometimes, we just need to bow in awe of God's timing and soak in the joy of the gifts that come directly from His Loving Hands.  


Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights,
who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17 NET).