Recognizing the Miracle of Grace

I don't spend near enough effort thinking about the really cool things that happen to me.  I tend to take my situation for granted, either good or bad, and carry on in my own little world.  It occurs to me that in order to really live in the moment, however, I need to recognize the true weight or significance of what is happening.

Here's an example.  The t-bird was a non-functional, ugly, smelly mess when I moved it into my garage just over 2 years ago:

Here's what it looked like last Thursday:

It has been only 26 months.

There is no way I could have anticipated the speed and impact of this amazing journey of restoration! Yes, it took my own contribution of sweat and finances, but at each step of the process, I felt like God was opening doors for me and speeding the process.   Experts couldn't wait to help me.  Money just showed up when I needed it.  In retrospect, this really is miraculous!

I got to take Dad for a ride in the car while he was still on this planet. I got to take Uncle Toronado for a ride as well. That is truly remarkable, and I need to linger on its significance.

 Dad would have loved being in that parade, riding with the Grand Marshal!