Just a coincidence?

Yes, that's a limo...a 35 1/2-foot long limo...only 4 weeks old...only 3700 miles on it...a 2012 limousine....parked at the end of our driveway.  Why?  That's what I wondered!!

Erin, Heather, Laura, Kara, Leah, Nanna, & I spent the afternoon at church today setting up for our rummage sale this weekend.  As we were coming past the grandparents' houses just around the corner from us, we all seemed to notice at the same time that there was a shiny limo parked at the end of our driveway.  The girls all said, "Hurry, Mom!"  We rounded the corner on two wheels!  

As we got close enough, we saw Gary standing beside the limo with two men...one in a black suit and one that looked like a hitchhiker with a backpack!  Gary's tractor & the sprayer were parked beside the fuel barrels at the end of the driveway.  Now what in the world was going on?!!  I couldn't figure it out.

After we backed in our parking spot, the girls all jumped out and ran to the end of the driveway to see the limo.  I started walking that way too.  Erin was lagging behind me.  Gary kept telling her to hurry up.  Once we got over there, he asked the girls, "How'd you like to take a ride in the limo?"  Well, what do you think they said?  The man in the black suit asked, "Would Mom like to go too?"  Of course!  Just at that moment, Meagan came driving up on the mower.  She had been in the backyard mowing.  I said, "Come on, Meagan!  Let's go!!"

At this point, all I knew was that this limo belonged to someone from Kankakee named Mike Wheeler.  We know Mike!  So I'm wondering, "Why did Mike Wheeler send his limo over here for us to take a ride in?  Who is this bum with the backpack?  How did he get to ride in this limo?"  I had no idea what was going on, but Gary said not to keep the driver waiting!  

So the man in the black suit opened the door for us to climb in.  Oh my!!  Talk about squeals and giggles and non-stop chatter!!!  We drove around the corner and saw Grandpa Sanders outside working on his pickup, so the girls wanted to stop there.  The driver (We never did ask the nice man's name.) went past the driveway & backed in.  We rolled down the window & Grandpa came over to see who it was.  He thought it was someone asking for directions.  He couldn't believe it when he saw his oldest daughter & seven of his granddaughters inside!  He asked me what we were riding in the limo for, and I answered, "I don't know!"  He said, "Oh, come on!  Why are you riding in here?"  I said again, "I really don't know!"  I had just gotten in when Gary told me to.  I didn't know why or how this came about!

The driver pulled out of the driveway and headed back towards our house.  Just as we were getting to our corner, he burst out laughing.  I had been talking & not paying attention to what was going on towards the front.  I stopped mid-sentence and demanded, "Who said what to make him laugh?"  Heather admitted she had just said, "Us hickerbillies are riding in a limousine!"  So the driver said he was a hillbilly too and he was a farmer too, and proud of it!  So we all had a good laugh!!

Once we got back to the end of the driveway, he put the limo in park & the doors unlocked.  Of course, he saw in his mirror that we were reaching for the doors.  He said, "Wait!"  Then he got out and came around to open the door and assist each of us out.  Just like Cinderella!

So I know you're all wondering how in the world a limousine came to be at our house.  When we sold our last two semis, they sat in our driveway for several weeks with no word from the man that bought them.  Finally, we found out he had sold them to someone that was taking them to Mexico and that person was supposed to be picking them up.  Finally, after several weeks...actually it's been months...someone came last week and picked up one of them.  They came to pick up the last one today.   The limo driver explained to me that the guy had ridden a bus from Texas to Kankakee.  Then he had called the Reliable Limo Service to get a car to take him to our house.  The limo service had been very busy today and the only car that was back there was the brand new limo.  Usually they would have used a sedan, but that was the only car available.  So is it coincidence that a total stranger from Texas would buy our truck & take a bus to Kankakee to take a limo to our house that's owned by someone we know...and it just happened that there were no cars available, so they had to use the brand new limo....and we got home at just exactly the right moment?  I don't think so!  I think God had to put all those "coincidences" together!  What an exciting day for all of us hickerbillies!  :-)