When I started this blog, I did not have an agenda; there was no theme or plan as to how this was going to go. I just started writing; sharing with you things going on in my life and what I learned from them. Take for example my blog on marriage, when I wrote that, my husband and I were getting along famously. Of course, a few days later, things were not as rosy as before. Yet, every time I found myself getting irritated at little things, I remembered my own words I had previously written and realized that in order to be transparent and honest with you, I needed to make sure I was "doing as I say." It really helped me get through a couple of rough days! It made me realize that the way I react to him and circumstances in my life are an example to others, even if it is only my own children. I once heard a quote "adversity doesn't build character, it reveals it." That has become my favorite quote and one I try to live by...and this past weekend, I had lots of opportunities...
Thursday I came home from a day of running errands, getting groceries, etc. I was tired and had a headache and realized I had about an hour and a half before my first little minion got off the bus, so I dropped my purchases in the hall and made a beeline for my bed intending to take, what I thought, was a well-earned nap! Approximately 20 minutes later a strange noise woke me up. From the moment I opened my eyes, I knew something was incredibly wrong. I ran into the living room to find water literally pouring from the AC vent in the ceiling. I ran upstairs, unsure of what disaster awaited me and from the steps could hear the water exploding in the little room that houses my hot water heaters. I opened the door and one of the heaters was spewing scalding hot water into the air, all over the room and draining down through the floor into the living room below. I frantically tried to find a cutoff valve on the heater but was unsuccessful. I then ran down, searching for my phone to call my husband. I wasn't in panic mode but I was frantic to turn off the water. Gallons of water were flooding the space between my top and bottom floor and the ceiling in my living room was already leaking in several places. It took me approximately 20 minutes to find the cutoff valve by the street, find the wrench to turn it and then actually get the water turned off! The entire time my husband was the picture of calm; talking to me in a quiet voice, guiding me through the procedure. He was so serene, I really did not think he grasped what was happening in my home. In the face of my fearful (not) panic, he remained completely composed, infuriatingly together!
My husband works about 45 minutes from our house, but I think he must have broken the sound barrier because it certainly does not seem like it took him that long to get there. By the time he arrived, he had already contacted a plumber and the insurance company. I had used every towel in the house trying to salvage my wood floor and my furniture and electronics - the place was a disaster area. He walked in and we immediately started moving furniture and doing major clean up. Our children started straggling in from school and immediately started pitching in to help out. By eight o'clock that night, the disaster relief people had come and gone, pizza had been ordered and things were finally starting to calm down. It was about this time I noticed my husband was still in his uniform; gun and badge still on his belt. He had worked all day and come home to such chaos and just did what needed to be done. There were several moments during that evening when someone was mad at someone else, and tempers flared, but, that is to be expected when there is so much happening and people are on edge. But overall, we worked well as a team and got through a very difficult day. Many times that night, I thought about how thankful I am to have a husband who just jumps in and takes care of business. I'm also thankful for kids who have been taught good work ethic and knew that we needed them and were more than willing to do what needed to be done. And I'm incredibly thankful for good insurance - it is such a relief to know that all of the damage will be repaired at little cost to us. So, while a pool in my living room wasn't exactly the way I planned on kicking off the holidays, it gave us all an opportunity to find new ways to be grateful!
No comments:
Post a Comment