I was receiving extra text messages last week. Short, kind, caring text messages. Some went like this:
“Is it raining there?”
“Is it still raining?”
“Are you doing ok?”
“Are you safe?”
“Is it windy?”
“Are the trees still standing?”
“Are you floating yet?”
I responded kindly to all the text messages. I appreciated everyone’s thoughts and prayers. It was called a 500 year storm, so I shouldn’t have to worry about the next one coming. We were very fortunate. We had one incident that was worth sharing.
Raindrops – So Many Raindrops
Rain started at 2 p.m. on Thursday and continued until Monday around 7 a.m. The last eight hours was the hardest rain I’d ever experienced. When daylight occurred Monday morning I went and checked the property. Stepping into the “Game Room” some 30 yards from the house, my foot felt a splat on the grey concrete floor. Ground water had seeped into the structure. The nearly two feet of rain had overwhelmed the concrete structure.
We worked for three hours to squeegee and shop vac the water out, but it kept coming in. I called two major restoration companies to get some expert advice. Understandably they were way too busy to provide help. One company did tell me it would stop coming in when the water level went down. I laughed and asked “Do you know when that will be?”
We decided to go to the local hardware store for sandbags. Probably the best decision I’ve made in quite a while. And it wasn’t my decision. It was my wife’s. The hardware store was packed with people. Most buying wet/dry vacuums. This hardware store is family owned and epitomizes customer service at its best. They were out of sandbags. But I was given a name of someone who could provide what I was looking for – advice to stop the water seepage.
I called the person and got voicemail. Totally understandable I thought, so I left a message. Within minutes my phone was ringing with his number identified. He was out pricing jobs, but could stop by in an hour. When he showed up he gave me the advice and instruction I’d been waiting for. Then to my surprise and relief he told me he could be back “first thing in the morning” to dig out and install a french drain to suck up and divert water.
True to his word he arrived with shovel in hand to begin the work. Once the trench was deep enough, the trickle of water reversed its path from inside to outside the structure. But digging the trench was hindered by the enormous amount of cedar and magnolia roots which had grown against and under the concrete block foundation. With loppers, a bow saw, a handsaw and a chainsaw we painstakingly removed the obstructions. The trickle became a stream as each root – some over ten feet long and four inches around were yanked from the watery ditch. Mike Rowe would have enjoyed this “dirty job.”
By the afternoon the six ton of rock were holding the drain in place and the game room was drying out with the help of a neighbor’s fans.
THE REST OF THE STORY
I relate this “mini-crisis” for several reasons.
* We were fortunate. The damage and inconvenience we experienced were miniscule when compared to thousands of other people.
* We were present. Had we not been there the water would have continued and the damage would have been far greater.
* Great neighbors still exist. I hear all the time about people not knowing their neighbors. That is not the case here. During the storm we all kept communicating with one another and when our issue arose our neighbors responded quickly.
* Coincidence or a Godsend. Was it a coincidence we just happened to go to the hardware store at the right time? Or that we just happened to run into an employee who provided an expert resource? Was it a coincidence the resource was available to resolve the issue within hours of it occurring?
The answer to all three questions is “no.” It wasn’t a coincidence. It was a Godsend. Things happen for a reason. Reasons we often don’t understand right away. But in time they reveal to us and cause us to pause and reflect.
Maybe the terrific and talented resource will help me with another project someday. It could be that he will help my neighbors – who came by to meet him and check out the work. Someday he may need help in some form or fashion from me. We don’t know how it will all play out. But I know there is a message and a lesson to learn.
In the midst of a crisis, a challenge, or an obstacle it’s well worth the time to reflect on how we faced the situation and what fruitfulness came our way as a result. I contend there is always goodness coming from within an event. We just need to take the time to see and understand what we have been given.
Until next time…