Did you ever have a day when everything went wrong? I mean a day when everything you touched fell apart or just didn't work. This was my day. First thing after I got out of bed, I went to the bathroom. When I pushed the flush lever, it broke. Talk about bad days. So I thought, "No big deal. I"ll lift the top off the tank and pull the chain inside to flush it.' Would you believe what happened then? I dropped the top and it broke! It hit the bowl of the commode and broke into pieces!

So now my commode's shot and I had to replace it. I went to Lowes to get a new one. I like to use the all in one sets, meaning everything you need is in the box. You still have to put everything together, but all the parts are there. On my way to Lowes, I had a flat tire. No problem for me, I've changed many flat tires before. I got the jack out to lift my truck up and it almost got the truck high enough, when the jack collapsed. My jaw dropped. I actually felt like crying at this point.

An elderly man in his late 60s or early 70s stopped to ask if I needed help. I thought, "All I need is a good jack." I told him, "Yes I need help, but mostly what I needed, was a good jack because mine was broken." He allowed me to use his jack to lift my truck up and change the flat tire. I thanked him and offered to pay him, but he refused a reward. My heart was lifted up at this point, and I really felt good that someone stopped to help me.

My mind quickly went back to why I was here in the first place. My heart sank once again. I wanted to curse the day, but for some reason, I held my tongue. I made it to Lowes and once inside I went to find what I needed. I went straight to the plumbing section and started browsing the area, looking for the right commode. I spotted the one I wanted. It was sitting on a shelf too high for me to reach from the floor. I pushed the help button and waited. I heard over the intercom, "Customer needs assistance in the plumbing section." I smiled as I realized my day was getting better.

I looked at my watch, after what seemed "forever," and noticed I had been waiting for over half an hour. My smile was gone again by that time. The day was just as bad then, as it was when it began. I push the button again, hearing the same electronic voice over the intercom, and I waited.

Nearly another 30 minutes went by before someone finally showed up asking what I needed help with. I told the young man I needed the commode in a box from the top shelf. He looked and told me he'd have to go and get a lift to be able to reach it. I glared at him and wanted to shout, "If I didn't need help to get it, I would've gotten it myself.' After thinking back, I suppose it was sort of funny.

On the way back home, I finally started feeling like maybe the day wasn't so bad after all. Even though I still had to install a commode, things had started looking up. I had everything I needed, and was well on my my way to getting things taken care of. After getting back home I set to the task to change the commode. I removed the old one and opened the box to my new shiny commode. I saw the nice shiny white new piece of bathroom throne and felt very good deep down in my heart. I even cracked a big wide smile. I started removing parts and organizing them so that everything would be in easy reach when needed. It was at this time that I noticed something wasn't right.

Apparently, when they boxed up my one box commode, they "forgot" to put a new seal in the box! My day had gotten worse. Another trip to Lowes and they were going to get a piece of my mind also while I was there. After making it to the parking lot, I went inside almost running I was so angry. I looked around inside and saw that something was going on. I heard someone say, "Call 911!" I went to see what was happening, and what I saw made my heart sink.

The same old man that stopped to help me when I had the flat tire lay motionless on the floor. Nobody was trying to really do anything, they stood around him looking at one another with confusion. I knelt beside him and checked for a pulse and found none. I put my ear to his mouth to see if he was breathing and there was no breath. I immediately started CPR on him and kept it going until the ambulance arrived. The paramedics came into the store and started working with him. They then rushed him to the hospital. The anger I felt when I came back to Lowes left me at the moment I started CPR on this man. I realized at the time that no matter what happens in our lives, things could always get worse.

My bad day turned out to be a day that someone was helped only because I was in the right place at the right time. I thanked God for allowing me to be there when I was needed. After waiting a few days, I went to the hospital to check up on the old man. He was in good spirits and was told by the doctors that whoever did the CPR on him saved his life. I never told him who helped him. I didn't need to sound my own trumpet. Thank you Father God, for this day that though it seemed very bad, became one of the greatest blessings I ever received.

Author's note: This is a fictional story.