Andrea is a Providence, Rhode Island, resident who’s having one heck of a year.
She headed to court in March to handle some issues with unpaid parking tickets that she’s acquired over the past year—or so she thought.
Once in the courtroom with Judge Frank Caprio, Andrea learned she had parking tickets with the city dating back to 2004. She wasn’t even aware that they existed, but as Judge Caprio reminded her, “it’s not a matter of knowing that they exist, it’s a matter of whether they were left on your vehicle or not, and they were.”
Fortunately, the parking tickets from 12 and 13 years ago were dropped because there were no standing records of them. But that good news only brought a rainstorm of bad.
Judge Caprio turned the conversation to Andrea’s most recent tickets—five that she’d received in the past year—many of which were written to her parked car on the same street. “Friendship Street” is where the tickets were posted to her car. It’s not where she lives, but rather the street where the city courthouse is located.
Andrea broke down in tears, explaining the awful year that she’s had.
She revealed that her son was killed just a year ago in March of 2016. Following his death, the state cut her social security check because her son had owed $75 to the state.
She headed to the social security office to sort out the matter, only to return to her vehicle with a parking ticket.
The events of her year only worsened after that. Andrea was evicted from her home, and was forced to appear in court to settle the dispute. Wouldn’t you know what was waiting for her when she left the legal building—another parking ticket.
On one other occasion, Andrea parked her car and ran into a coffee shop to get some change for the meter. After just a few minutes away from the vehicle, the parking police had left her yet another “gift” on the windshield.
“It’s like I can’t win,” she emotionally explained to Judge Caprio.
Andrea said she’s still paying off her son’s funeral from a year ago, and struggling to scrounge up all the money necessary to pay off her tickets while also moving into a new apartment. On top of the financial burden she’s carrying, Andrea also tells Judge Caprio that she’s on antidepressants, and the death of her son has left her feeling “empty and lost.”
They say “God will never give you more than you can handle,” but I know for a fact that he does.
If we went through this life and never NEEDED to rely on God to come through and do only something HE could do, then we’d be missing out on some incredible experiences that draw us near to Him.
The Lord is always with us, but His timing, and when he decides to “show up,” is absolutely perfect. It’s often when we need him most, and not when we want something most.
I’d like to believe that God worked through Judge Caprio on Andrea’s day in court.
After hearing her story, and the tough year that Andrea’s coming out of, Judge Caprio was more than sympathetic to the woman. He told her he was going to take all of the circumstances she’d explained to him—what he called a “horrific story”—into consideration. With that, he dropped the accumulated charges to only $50.
Andrea was relieved, and grateful, but Judge Caprio wasn’t finished.
After assuring him that she could pay the fines today, Judge Caprio had a hunch that he’d be leaving Andrea completely broke.
He asked her how much money she’d be left with if she paid the $50 on her way out, to which she responded, “Five dollars.”
His hunch was accurate, and Judge Caprio instead decided to drop all charges against the grieving mother. He was not about to let her leave the courtroom with only five dollars in her pocket.
Judge Caprio’s compassion is inspiring, and it’s just the reminder we needed today that God’s timing is always perfect.
