It was with anticipation that my granddaughter and I rounded the corner of Gottschalks at Sierra Vista Mall to catch a glimpse of “The Wheelmobile.” I was planning to sign up for a chance to be on Wheel of Fortune. Then we saw the crowd; at least 300 people lined up and waiting.
So we decided to get some lunch in the mall and when we came back the line had increased to 500 people or more. So we joined them. It didn’t seem long before the line started moving. I soon got an application, filled it out, and dropped it in the large container.
About two weeks later I received a letter to report to downtown Fresno for a tryout. There were 200 people there, waiting in line again. Then came some test runs, forms to fill out, etc. They said they may pick 20 people or they may pick no one and they would notify us by mail if we had been chosen.
In two weeks I received another letter saying to report to Sony Studios in L.A. on a certain date. Even then it wasn’t for sure.
Our family made the trip to L.A. (Culver City) and started what was about to be a long day. I was taken to a small room along with 15 other contestants and we were told the rules of what we could or could not do. I thought I was on jury duty. They recorded all five shows in one day and showed them at a later date. I was on the third show. I felt comfortable, since I’d been on stage many times in my life for singing, etc. And then the show started.
When it came to my turn I got a few letters and had almost $5,000, but then lost a turn. The gal next to me solved the puzzle. And so it went. Before I knew it, we were done and I received the lovely parting gift, but no cash. The gift was really nice; matching his and her Jaguar watches worth about $900.
When we got home, I had a hard time watching Wheel of Fortune for a while because I would think about what could have been. I even wrote an article in the Bethany News and Views about the “Wheel of MisFortune.”
Not everything in life turns out the way we dream it might happen or how we want it to turn out.
Hebrews 13:5 says “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”
1 Timothy 6:6 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
These are such good reminders for me.
Pastor Ed Willems
proverbs2v6 