It has been an emotional week for many reasons- I won't get into a repeat of all that! Plus it promises to be an emotional weekend...
As my cousin, Michelle, told me today, Heavenly Father will always help things to work out but not usually in the way you are expecting. So true! And this reminded me of 'that year' in my life- the one in which I was supposed to learn the lesson- but usually need a refresher- thus the repeat... I also added a very special experience (So if you think you've read this already, please take the time to read it again.), with Charly's permission. (This blog post is dedicated to my good friend who is going through a hard time right now.)
Surrounded by Blessings: The Year of the Broken Water Main and Other Miracles
The following account is true, all of it, and yes, you read the title correctly- broken water mains can be miracles and blessings!
At the time, I viewed that year as the worst year of my life... After years of struggles and much fasting and prayer, I had filed for divorce. I had three young children, Jon age 1, Charly age 3, and Eric age 6, I didn't have a job, and I was now solely responsible for the mortgage payment on a 100+ year old house. It was November, and I was having trouble with my furnace. So, I called the gas company to have someone take a look. In his wisdom, the gas company rep decided to shut the gas off to my house, saying that I would need to re-line my flue before the gas could be turned back on! The repair would take eight days; eight very long days without heat and three small children. In the meantime, my parents graciously consented to allow the four of us to move into their home.
During this week, I spent several hours each day at my home waiting for Eric as he attended his kindergarten class. That Wednesday morning, I noticed that the water would not work. The water main had broken! I got the water shut off, but after some digging, discovered that the break could not be found. You see, my house was so old that the city had moved the road after the water main had been run. So instead of leaving my house and curving toward the road, my water main left my house and curved away from the road to who knows where. The plumber told me that the least expensive solution would be to dig a new water main. (The trench needed to run 3/4 the length of the 1/3 acre lot!) I did not have the money to do this, and with winter starting, it would be springtime before my ward would be able to help me dig the needed trench.
The result of this situation was that my children and I ended up spending eight months at my parent's home instead of the original eight days. Living in my parent's home at this time were two of my brothers, my sister, my parents, and my grandmother. My children and I were able to stay in a room that measured 10 feet by 12 feet. It had one twin sized bed, a crib for Jon and a small dresser. Eric and Charly slept in sleeping bags on the floor. This was the arrangement for the first two months. Then, after my sister's marriage, Eric and Charly were able to move downstairs to a bedroom with real beds.
My family, especially my grandmother, was not used to having small children and their resultant noises and messes around. Life was not always easy or pleasant sharing the house. I also had to drive Eric to kindergarten across the valley, wait at my house, with no water, and bring him back, leaving my mother to tend the other children as I could not have them spending several hours without a bathroom. Bedtime for the kids was also a challenge as my grandmother, being hard of hearing, would listen to the radio or her television shows at full volume on the other side of the wall from Jon's crib, not always an ideal situation to say the least.
At the end of the eight months, as the repairs came to completion and my children and I were able to move back home, my wonderful mother was diagnosed with cancer. This year of my life saw the end of my marriage, eight months without a home, my mother's passing into the next life, and one additional horrifying discovery which I will mention later.
So, why do I say this was a year of miracles? I have come to realize that this was not the worst year of my life. In fact, I count this year as one of the most magnificently wonderful years of my life. This year was full of blessings and miracles.
My marriage ended, but I have come to see that, given the circumstances, it was the best thing for me. My Father in Heaven knew so much more about me and my situation than I realized then, and He helped me to make the right decision. I could not stay in my house, but I came to realize the generosity of my family and my ward family: my ward for helping to repair my home, my family for offering me theirs for a time. Despite the struggles to adjust our lifestyles and blend our families, no perhaps because of those struggles, my children and I grew much closer to my family, learning more appreciation and love for them than we would have under other circumstances.
Driving Eric to kindergarten was an immense blessing in many ways. I was able to spend time alone talking to Eric every one of those days. Charly and Jon were able to spend time with their grandmother. My mother not only cared for my children and fed them lunch, she would arrange for an art project or other activity that she would do with Charly every day when Jon was having his nap. Although she was only three years old, Charly, now grown, well remembers that time spent with Grandma. I was also able to spend four hours each of those days repairing and improving my house. It was an old home that needed the attention, and by not having the children there, I was able to complete many needed repairs.
The broken water main was also, believe it or not, a financial blessing because of the generosity of my dad. For eight months, I did not have to pay for groceries (Thanks again, Dad!) and my utility bills were very small.
For me, personally, one of the biggest blessings to come out of this year was my opportunity to spend time with my mom every day. To have family prayers with her every morning, to talk for hours as we completed chores side by side, to hear her tell me that she loved me every night before I went to bed, these memories are so priceless to me now that she is gone. What a miracle that my loving Father in Heaven saw fit to allow my water main to break at this time of my life. It was nothing short of a miracle. If it had happened the next year, it would have happened too late. If it had not happened at all, if what I thought would be best and prayed so earnestly for at that time (a quick repair and back to my home) had happened instead, I would have missed all of those months with my mother.
The greatest miracle of all occurred one week after my mother’s death. You see, unbeknownst to me, my ex-husband was physically, emotionally, and sexually abusing the children. After her death, my Father in Heaven allowed my mother to appear to my little girl during the night. My mother told Charly that she should tell me what was happening, and being the sweet little girl that she was, Charly did just that. Although the months and years that followed this revelation were difficult at best, because of this miracle, I was able to help my children recover from an awful situation, to prevent any further harm to them, and help them to develop their own testimonies of the Gospel. Eric has since served a mission and will shortly be married in the temple, Charly has grown into a beautiful and successful young woman, and Jon is an amazing young man preparing for a mission of his own.
I am so grateful to my Father for blessing me so abundantly, for giving me what I needed most instead of what I wanted. I know that He does hear and answer my prayers. I just hope that you and I can see the miracles that surround us every day because I know they are there if we only take notice.
