Pouring rain and God’s umbrella

Published 6:00 pm Saturday, August 6, 2022

You’re familiar with the saying, “When it rains, it pours.” That has certainly been the case at our home over the past week or two.

Not necessarily in this order, the following all happened:

• The dishwasher died, not to be revived.

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• The master bathroom sink drain decided it would break in two — pipes that apparently aren’t made anymore.

• The central air conditioning unit gave up its ghost.

• The water heater began to disintegrate, leaking from the bottom and damaging the floor.

• I got sick (once again) from an infection that started in my leg and affected my whole physical being.

Friends and family and landlord were quick to act. Two friends loaned us window unit a/c relief to get us through the heat. One even offered to go buy us a unit, if it would help.

A friend came over and did his dead-level best to help me fix the dishwasher, but it was beyond fixing.

The a/c guy found a great deal on a replacement and got it installed for us last night.

A trip last week to the doctor got me a quick diagnosis and some foul-tasting antibiotics. I’m able to wear long pants and shoes today for the first time since.

So many people have called, texted, etc. to check on us and offer any help they could.

We learned and/or were reminded of a few things over the course of all this:

• God is good — we can never forget this one, even for a moment.

• A dishwasher is a luxury. As much as we might not want to wash by hand, we can.

• Some things can be fixed, just not when you would prefer.

• Air conditioning is a luxury unless you have a medical condition (“or live in the South,” I can hear you saying). Trust me, none of us wants to be without it, but if we had to, we could.

• Just because we haven’t heard weird noises from an appliance doesn’t mean it is OK. Same goes for pets and children.

• Friends are priceless.

We always have a lot for which to be thankful. I am constantly aware of that. I hope I never forget it.

Surprisingly, though, I thought I would get very frustrated during all this and become grumpy, irritable or angry. But God did not allow that. With every thing that added itself to the list, God pointed out something humorous. And when the infection flared up and my lower leg got painful and swollen quickly, He pointed out my humerus.

When it started raining in our situations, it poured. But God showed up quickly, with his umbrella open and a comforting arm during the storm. And rainbows come after storms.

Brett Campbell can be reached at brett.campbell@dailyleader.com.