This is a life has come full circle type of story.
About 35 years ago, Rick's sister, Julie, and I were going to spend part of our Christmas break from school taking her younger brothers to see their dad in Monterey for Christmas and moving the youngest brother to Monterey to live with their dad. Rick wasn't with us since he was serving his mission in Canada at the time. We felt pretty good about our ability to handle this adventure. We were both 20-something, so we were definitely all grown up and ready to take on the world.
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| Me, with Julie, David and Steve, New Year's Eve 1986 |
I'm not sure where I had been, but I came home the night before we were to leave to find Grandpa Jones at my parents' house. Grandpa Jones was Rick's grandfather, his mom's (Lorraine) father, so finding him at my parents' house was very unusual and surprising. After he left, my dad let me know that he had come to talk my parents out of letting me go on this trip. If I didn't go, the trip would be off, since we were taking my car. Grandpa Jones didn't feel it was appropriate or safe for two 20-something young women to travel alone from Utah to California unaccompanied except for two teen-age boys.
Well, as was once explained to me by my LDS bishop during my turmoil filled teenage years, my father wanted to raise daughters that could make up their own minds and could take care of themselves and could use good common sense, so what Grandpa Jones said didn't sit well with a man who wanted to raise daughters to be independent. (I sometimes wonder if my dad has ever regretted his child rearing strategy.) After listening to Grandpa Jones' concerns and suggestions, my dad had politely dismissed his concerns and said as my father, he knew we were as well prepared for the trip as we could be and would be okay and beside I was old enough to make up my own mind.
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| My dad, Henry James Dickamore, with me. |
But something must have gnawed at the back of my dad's mind and the next morning he did something totally unexpected. It was a Sunday morning and instead of getting ready for church, he took my car to the mechanics shop and had it completely checked over. This resulted in brand new tires on my car since there was enough wear on them to make him concerned about our driving up over Donner's Pass and through the Sierras during the winter, even with the snow chains I had previously purchased. How grateful I was for my dad using his greater knowledge and wisdom to prepare us for our trip, especially as on our return trip home we did encounter bad weather the whole way and ended up heading south towards Los Angeles and through Southern Utah instead of the normal northern route through Tahoe and Wendover, so we could avoid the worst of the storms.
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| Rick sitting on my cute, little Cavalier, 1988 |
Now let's fast-forward those 30-plus years. Our child was taking his family on a trip with his in-laws. He asked if he could use our trailer so they could have a place more secure than a tent to sleep in. We agreed and Rick and I spent the next month making all the minor repairs, replacements and additions to the trailer and our Suburban we knew needed to happen to prepare the vehicles for the trip. But the memory of Grandpa Jones and my dad kept playing in my mind and I kept bugging Rick to check the tires. He over and over told me that the tires were fine. He had checked them over and over. Finally to prove his point, the morning of the big adventure he hooked the trailer to the Suburban and drove it back and forth in our driveway to show that there was nothing wrong with the tires. He then unhooked the trailer and took the Suburban to the gas station to fill up the tank and get gas for the generator, where he proceeded to have a flat tire on the Suburban that resulted in four new tires for the Suburban and new tires for the trailer as well.
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| Rick with Hunter in Monterey, 1991 |
There are a few of lessons I take from this experience:
1) We always need to be as aware of the inside as we are of the appearance on the outside. From the outside, the tires looked to be okay, but when jostled or added pressure was placed on them, they crumbled because the inside had fallen apart. Sometimes we put on a good show and make everything appear on the outside to be okay, while inside we are falling apart. While this falling apart or emptiness may not be visible to everyone, I believe that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are always aware of us and will help us receive what we need at all times.
2) In times of need or concern, through the power of the Holy Ghost, we will have experiences or thoughts brought to our minds to help us through the difficult times or helps us be better prepared to face them if we tune our minds to listen for those promptings.
3) I am so blessed to have had great men in my life who love me and want what is best for me. Men who have prepared me to experience life and who have listened to me and trusted me to use my judgment and talents and wisdom to make my own choices to grow and become who I am today. From my Heavenly Father and on to my husband, I know I am surrounded by love.
