The Day It Rained $100 Bills

It was a simple plan that got complicated quickly.

I was road-tripping with the family up north to Escanaba, MI to purchase a new vehicle this last weekend.  After three hours on the road, we took a pit-stop at a restaurant in a small Wisconsin town.  While everyone was loading back into the suburban, I announced I had to run the restroom and would be right back.  My husband, Bob, was already sweating at the mere thought of waiting in a hot vehicle with no A/C.  

“Well,”  he said as I ran inside, “I’ll drive around to cool off and be right back.”

“Sure, whatever!”  I hurried inside and was out a few minutes later, scanning the parking lot for a familiar black suburban that wasn’t there.  I had been thinking he meant cruise the parking lot for a minute but he must have meant drive through town.  I wasn’t worried and sat down on the sidewalk outside the restaurant, awaiting my knight to return.

I waited…5 minutes.

Ten minutes.

The sun was getting hot and I was getting hotter.

Twenty minutes passed.

Then thirty.

I hadn’t  grabbed my phone so had no way to call my husband to see what the heck happened to them.  My emotions were on a pendulum, swinging between fear and fury.  What if something happened to them?  Were they all okay?  Then it was, Where in the world is that man?  Is this some stupid joke?  Boy, I am getting mad!!

I know it’s not a good idea to judge someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes…but this had to be the exception!  This was just ridiculous!!

After FIFTY minutes of sitting outside the restaurant, I finally saw that old faithful burban round the corner and pull into the parking lot.  After quickly observing the vehicle, Bob and all the children were safe and sound, the pendulum of emotions stuck on one side: FURY.

I slid into my seat, staring straight ahead as we pulled back onto the highway.  “I hope you have a REALLY good explanation for why you left me there for so long.”
It was then I noticed Bob was white as a ghost and drenched in sweat, weird I thought…but I’m still TICKED!  

Bob replied, “I’m really sorry.”

I waited.

“SO!  What’s the explanation?”

“We almost had to go home.  I almost lost $3,000.”

I felt my heart skip a beat, “Okay.  I’m listening!”

Bob told me the story.

He decided to cruise the highway for a few miles to catch enough wind to cool off, intending to be back in five minutes to pick me up (or so he claimed, ha ha!) when something very unexpected happened.

Earlier that day, on our way out of town, we had swung by the bank and withdrew $3,000 in cash to buy the vehicle in Escanaba.  Bob had slid the envelope of money in an organizer attached to the driver’s side visor.  Hours later, with the sun hitting his face on that stretch of highway attempting to cool off, he momentarily forgot the money was there and flipped over the visor to block the sun.  He noticed a flash of white fly by the window but figured it was nothing until he heard something flapping in the wind.  He glanced in the window behind him and saw one $100 bill caught on the edge of the door.

It hit him: $3,000 in cash just flew out the window!

He slammed on his brakes, veering off to the side of the freeway as he glanced behind him to see the sky raining $100 bills everywhere!  He backed up, jumped out of the car and began darting in and out of cars flying by going 60-75 mph as he attempted to grab thirty $100 bills!  They were landing in ditches and in the middle of the high-way as passing cars would send them flying through the air again.  He counted to thirty as he frantically grabbed them…one…two…twenty-nine and finally (thank GOD!!), THIRTY one-hundred dollar bills were stuffed safely into Bob’s pocket.

I stared in shock as Bob finished the story.

“So…” I confirmed, “You have ALL the money again?”
“Yes.”

Then, after that moment of shock, I burst out laughing.  I could just see my dear husband racing in and out of traffic, frantically trying to gather every last $100 bill flying in the air.  Bob laughed too…but not until about an hour later when he finally could breath again.

“You’re right,” I smiled as I thought about how we shouldn’t judge another’s actions until we’ve walked a mile (or, in this case, ran about a mile catching flying money) in their shoes.  Once again, God shows me that I could use a little less fighting Irish in this blood and a little more patience and understanding in my heart.  I also learned that my husband would never leave me at a little town in the middle of nowhere…at least not when he had all the kids (JOKING!!).  

If you don’t mind learning a thing or two, then there is probably a little lesson from God in something every day…even on the days it rains $100 bills from the sky!