Equal or greater benefit

“Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.”
Napoleon Hill

It’s always “fun” when you discover a home repair challenge on a holiday weekend.  And this past weekend saw us doing exactly that.

It’s Easter. We are ready to leave for the worship service when we discover that the back bedroom carpet is wet. Squishy like jumping in puddles wet. The pile of laundry on the floor is wet. It feels like it just came out of the washing machine ready for the dryer. But it hasn’t been washed. There was a mystery for us to solve.

We had a choice: we could deal with it immediately and miss the Easter service and planned time with family for lunch or continue with our plans and deal with it later. We chose the latter. We enjoyed a wonderful Resurrection Celebration and family time.

When we got back home late in the afternoon, my daughter and I donned gloves and started moving things that were soaked out of the bedroom. We bought drop cloths, put them down on the carport, and relocated dry things to dry ground and wet things to a separate pile on the carport.

We initially thought the tub or shower had leaked since it is on the other side of the bedroom closet. But we discovered that there was also standing water on the bathroom floor. The bathroom that connects to the master bedroom.
It was obviously going to be a much bigger job and clean-up than we had imagined.  A plumber would be out to determine the cause and severity of the leak.

(A little background: the bedroom and bathroom had not been regularly used for years. Once my husband was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer, we got rid of the living-room sofa and replaced it with an adjustable memory-foam bed for him. So he stayed out in the center of the family activity until he passed away.  I rolled out a mat on the floor each evening next to the bed to be there for him.)

So what was the seed of equal or greater benefit in all of this? I posted on Facebook that I couldn’t wait to find out. And I meant it.

I had been planning to find time to sort through my late husband’s clothing, through the kids’ outgrown clothing, and through clothing I was no longer needing. Had been “planning” to get to it, but it hadn’t happened. The clothing just waited in the back bedroom. 

Since this water damage happened, it forced me to go through a lot of the clothing. A friend of mine, who runs a ministry helping disadvantaged women get back into the workforce, came by yesterday and was able to select many professional outfits from the piles moved to the carport to avoid water damage. Needy ladies will be blessed by the clothing, shoes, and accessories.

The plumbing repair could have been a very expensive situation. Instead, it was a quick fix that cost less than $100. (And the wonderful, professional plumber was a Buckeye fan!)

I had been “planning” to get rid of our queen bed since I no longer need a bed that large. The restoration guys moved the queen bed frame, mattress, and box springs out of the bedroom for me. Habitat for Humanity will be picking it up this week to sell at their store that funds housing for local families. And they had a queen headboard that had been donated with no matching queen bed to display it. Now they will have one.

One benefit of moving every two years when you are in the military is that it forces you to purge things you haven’t used or no longer need each time you move. We have now lived in the same city and home for 20 years. I have no idea what they found under the bed and probably don’t want to know. A friend said “really big dust bunnies.” One more to-do list item I no longer have to find time to do. 

We have great insurance. They already approved the claim. This is a huge blessing. Once I paid the deductible, my part was over. They now deal directly with the damage restoration company.

Since they are completely packing out two rooms of the house to get rid of the mold, water damage, and remove the carpet, etc., it is like moving without leaving home. This gives me the opportunity to go through things left in my son’s room when he left for college, as well as everything else in my bedroom. 
When the repairs are completed and we move the extra-long twin bed back into my room, there will be extra space that wasn’t there before. It will allow for new decor, new colors, and a new beginning.

Yes, in every adversity, you can find the positive IF you look for it.  The same is true of the negative. It’s all in the attitude. So here’s to “eating the elephant one bite at a time” as we work through this for the next couple of months. 
Hope you can find joy in the chaos you face and in the midst of challenges when they come.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
(Rom. 8:28)

Our reason for hope

“Oh death, where is your sting? Oh grave, where is your victory?”

Today we celebrate Easter.
We will be on the church lawn for a sunrise service. We will see the rays of hope break through the dark into a beautiful dawn before the service ends.
The sun will come up to remind us that it is a new day.

As I was driving on Friday, I heard John Ortberg being interviewed. He talked about how Good Friday was the first day of a very-important three-day cycle.
He said many times we also face this cycle of Day 1: Trouble, Day 2: Trouble, Day 3: Deliverance. But in the middle of day 2, we don’t know that deliverance is coming on Day 3. That’s where faith comes in – to keep believing in the midst of the darkest days.

But today, day 3 has arrived!
Today we celebrate that Death has been conquered and that Jesus, through His sacrifice, provided us a way to live with Him eternally.
Today we celebrate hope. (I say it stands for Holding On to Promise that Endures.)

Coincidentally (or not), A year ago today, on March 31st, I was at the church in the morning setting up for Bryan’s Memorial Service to celebrate his life. I carefully placed mementos of his military service and his life on a small table at the front of the worship center.
A large, framed family photo was placed on an easel in front of the stage.
Friends helped tie ribbons on the bookmarks we made to give to those who attended. We stuffed one of these into each of the bulletins.
The candles and flowers were arranged, the chairs and video screen set up for overflow and for the reception. The tribute video was cued up. Things were ready.

Then we went home to change clothes, drove back to the church, and people started to arrive. What could have been a very dark day was a day of joy as we celebrated why we could still rejoice and still believe, even after a tremendous loss. We have eternal hope.

As the DM Honor Guard folded the flag and played “Taps” in Bryan’s honor, it signified that the service was over. And his service was complete. He was safely home.
We were so grateful to have more than 500 friends and family attend that day to celebrate Bryan’s life, honor his service and memory, and to support me and our kids. 

It seems very fitting that a year later, to the day, we celebrate the Reason that we have eternal hope. If not for the Resurrection, Bryan’s death would have a much different meaning and result. We have now come full cycle.

“Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!”
– Bill Gaither

May you have a blessed and Happy Easter.
He is risen!