With a hot cup of cocoa, Jan slipped into the recliner and smiled. This seemed her first opportunity to relax in several weeks. All that hustle and bustle served to set the stage for a climactic moment several-hours hence when the children would bound from their beds eager to find what Santa had left under the tree the night before.

Bob came in the room behind her and, for a fleeting moment, gently placed his hand on her shoulder before he sat on the sofa beside her. The smile he offered said volumes. It was a smile of appreciation, acknowledging all she had done and all she yet to do when next they woke on Christmas Day.

You’re amazing,” said Bob.

Jan blushed ever so slightly while feeling a warm glow inside knowing that she was equally amazed at all she had accomplished the last several weeks. The Christmas shopping, baking cookies, putting up the tree and decorating the house, planning a meal for an extended family of 33 tomorrow, sending out nearly 200 Christmas cards and all done alongside her customary duties of feeding her husband and the kids, cleaning the house, and operating the mommy taxi on a daily basis.

That last one – that was a biggie and represented the one moment that threatened to upset the entire apple cart. It was just last week. She was preparing to take Noah and Emily to school – their last day of school before the holiday break. Then, she had to rush out to the mall for a One-day sale on the gift she was buying for Bob – a deal she literally couldn’t afford to pass up. On the way to the mall, she had to drop by the bank, the cleaners and a sanity saving stop for yoga. When all of that was done, she had to pick the kids up from school again, and start baking Christmas cookies while simultaneously preparing dinner.

No sooner had she dropped the kids off at school than she noticed a scraping noise when she hit the brakes. The car still stopped but the grinding noise was alarming.

Jan had pulled over to the shoulder along Route 31 on her way to McHenry. As she contemplated her situation – wondering if it was safe to drive – she saw a purple sign back from the road: Performance Unlimited. Below the purple oval, the sign read: “CAR & TRUCK REPAIR: Quick Lube Service.”

Jan figured she could make it back a short block from the highway and drove over. At she entered the front door, a woman behind the counter looked up, smiled and said, “Hello. How can we help?”

The sincerity of her smile was matched by a subtle confidence that promised they could, indeed, help with whatever the mechanical malady.

Jan explained her dilemma, including her need to be back on the road soon. Just then, the door to the shop opened and a large man wearing a shirt with a patch that matched the oval on the sign out front came into the office. The woman behind the counter relayed what Jan had said, including the part about Jan’s busy day.

The man smiled reassuringly and said, “Why don’t you let us put your car on a lift and take a look?”

Jan agreed and handed him her keys. No more than 15 minutes later, she saw a technician in a similar shirt pull the car back out of the shop. He parked it outside and came into the office where he spoke with the other man, smiled at Jan and headed back into the shop.

As he handed her keys back, the large man said, “Your brake linings are worn. You’ll be OK for now but you don’t want to wait too long. Your brake pads are thin but your rotors are good still.”

He explained that, if she didn’t take care of the problem soon, she would have to buy new rotors, too. But, driving today wouldn’t be a problem.

“I suggest you bring the car in to your auto repair shop in the next couple of weeks,” he said. “If you have an auto repair shop you can trust, I’m sure they’ll take good care of you.”

Jan thanked him and asked, “What do I owe.”

“That’s OK,” the man said. “You just have a good and safe holiday.”

Jan suddenly realized Bob was speaking to her.

“Did you set up an appointment for the car’s brakes?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said. “I told Stan (who owns the shop where Jan and Bob bring their cars) about Performance Unlimited. He said, ‘Oh, Denny? He’s a good man.’”

“He must be,” Bob said, “for Stan to say that about him. I wish the guy who sold me the snow blower had the same attitude as those two.”

“The snow blower is broken?” Jan asked. When Bob nodded, Jan added with a sigh, “I’ll bring it in to have it looked at Thursday.”