A Barn Raising

I want to go to bed but I had to add this blog entry before the day is over. I just spent the last 40 minutes trying to get Mr. B re-settled for the night. His room is very warm and the fan wasn't hitting him just right so he laid in bed moaning and groaning. It took me a while to figure out what the problem was and now all is quite (knock on my desk).

So now before I head off to la-la land I will comment on friends. I don't want to downplay any of my friends and their incredible role in my life and the love I have for them (they really are awesome) but I was just blown away today by one in particular. We are, as previously blogged, in the midst of our kitchen remodel. I, personally, removed all the tile from our kitchen floor and have been trying for days to get the plywood removed so that we can float (level) the cement foundation in preparation for our new floor. This has be the absolute most tedious task ever! The shovel I used for the tile wasn't working on the plywood so I've been using a flat tipped crowbar and sledge hammer or a chisel and hammer to literally, inch-by-inch dig my way under the wood and glue and pry it up. We finally called the local rental outfit and ended up renting a type of jack-hammer thing used to remove tile, roofing material, etc. only to have no success with it.

LESSON: Sometimes the best way to get the job done is to go back to the basics.

After our disappointing outcome with the high powered rental tool our friend and neighbor, Steve the engineer, stopped by and saw what was happening (or what wasn't happening) and he offered a solution. He brought over this tool from the 1930's (looks like a pick-ax with a big flat tip on one side) and went to town on our kitchen floor. It was AMAZING to see him in action with the ax. Shortly after our next door neighbor dropped by and, as it turns out, he too has this tool, only he has two of them. I came downstairs to find three adult men making incredible progress in the removal of the permanently glued plywood. In a few hours time they had removed over half the floor! I was giddy with excitement.

Now today, after an enjoyable afternoon at the lake swimming, playing and just trying to beat the heatwave we've been having, I get home and Steve shows up again. He is here to finish the job! Seriously it is 80+ degrees in my home, he's just worked all day and now he is spending his evening helping us complete this giant task. He and DH had the second half of the floor up within 2 hours. It was amazing, it was stupendous, it was a shining example of Christ like charity. There was no payment (other than dinner the other night, which was the very least I could do), no expectations, just friend helping friend in a time of need.

I've since had this strange Amish-esque feeling, only instead of a barn raising we did a floor raising, where the entire community comes together to help one in need. It has really made me think about my priorities, the busy work that fills my life and a desire to simplify and be available when He wants me to do His work.

Thanks Steve for being "in tune" and willing.