Is your glass half empty or half full?

I was reading an article about lucky people. Well, the article was not just about lucky people, but what makes some people lucky and others not. It all came down to attitude and how people looked at themselves and all surrounding them. I've never really considered myself particularly lucky or unlucky, but something about that article resonated in me. No matter what happens I now try to see the silver-lining in what otherwise might be a very dark and stormy cloud. I do think this helps to turn luck around.

I also believe in fate...Sure our futures are determined by our choices, whether good or bad, but sometimes something larger looms... Sometimes this larger thing appears as a coincidence. I think these coincidences are messages to hone in on and definitely signs of something larger. You have to pay attention to these...I tune into everything around me. I believe there are clues and signs everywhere.

I also believe in guardian angels. There have been too many times in my life where things should have gone wrong but haven't. There have been times when either fate has stepped in... Or somewhere someone was looking out for me. Does this ever happen to you?

Yesterday I was taking the children to the movies. I had my three plus Rebecca's friend in the car. We were low on gas, I knew, but judging by the message on the screen on the dash there was plenty to get to the movies and home. If we hadn't been pressed for time I would have stopped but we were running late to the movies and then I had to get Rebecca's friend right home afterwards. I knew we were close but I was not worried.

We made it to the movies in plenty of time, picked up our drinks and popcorn and situated ourselves in the theater where we met up with friends of Alexander's and Christopher's. We saw The Diary of  Wimpy Kid. My older two have read and loved the books. I knew after watching the trailers that Alexander would enjoy it too. It really was a family-friendly movie with something in it for everyone. It was good clean fun with a good message and enough booger humor for the boys. The girls and I laughed aloud... a lot!

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We all left the movie giggling and smiling and in good spirits. The car ride home was uneventful save for Alexander screaming at me that he was not going to go to the gas station. No biggie, I would take the car later. We got off the highway and turned on to the great big hill that takes us home. I noticed the car sputtering a bit which seemed odd and made a note that I would mention this to my husband. I took a left on to the road that takes us to our street and the car sputtered all the way home. We joked about it being the gas. I'd make the kids push me. They could get wet in the rain and I would stay dry and steer as they pushed! Perfectly Lazy Mother, right?! We took the left onto our street... more sputtering. Very strange indeed, I thought. And then we pull into the driveway and I put my foot on the accelerator and the car sputtered once and stopped. Dead in her tracks at the bottom of the driveway!

Sure I could have been bummed about the car dying... about the expense of it all... the inconvenience of it all. But I wasn't. I thought instead, that it was amusing. And then wondered if perhaps the gas gauge was not off... if perhaps we had run out of gas?

So I called my husband and told him what happened.

When he came home from work he filled the car with 2 gallons of gas that we had in the garage for the tractor. He also told me that he was annoyed with me for letting the car run out of gas... though I was pretty certain I hadn't. But the gas didn't help. Still the car would not start. Of course, I had to say "AHA! I told you so!"  Because... well, just because!

Lexus came and brought the SUV to the shop. Later on I got a call from them telling us what was wrong and that it would all be covered by our warranty. (Thank God!) But our rear brake pads are running low. (Not covered by warranty.) Since parts had to be ordered our car would have to remain with them a few days we'd get a loaner SUV. All was good.

After I got the call from Lexus last night I realized how incredibly lucky we truly were. And I am certain it was no mere stroke of luck that the car did not stall and die in the middle of the highway or in the middle of the busy hill leading to our home... but waited until we were safely past the stone pillars that stand at the bottom of the our driveway. This was no mere coincidence at all. It was good luck... It was, perhaps, fate... but mostly I feel that someone was up there watching out for us... and I know who that someone was...

Today the husband got a quote from Lexus to fix the brakes. $380. Then he had the brilliant idea of calling Toyota to learn that the very same brakes cost $250! Guess where we'll be having the brakes replaced?