Miracles Abound

How is it Friday already?

It’s a miracle we made it through this week.

TGIF.

I have never needed Friday as much as I do this week. Well, truth be told, I needed to get to many Fridays like I did today.

I was undoubtedly grateful for the Friday in 2020 when I knew Jon would come home after a harrowing week in the hospital as we learned about his brain cancer. That was about two years ago today. I keep telling you it’s a miracle we have made it this far.

Last Friday, I shared about the muddy boots of two years ago, the hose bib that needed repair, and the many other broken things we are working to fix.

Tuesday, our “vintage” central AC stopped working.

Of course, it’s the hottest day of the year.

With a temporary fix, and just before the tech got it working, he turned to my son and asked, “Do you believe in miracles?”

“I do,” He said.

We do.

We believe in Miracles. I hope you do too.

With a Hail Mary and a very surprised tech, the broken system started to give us some temporary relief.

He didn’t know how long this hard start would last.

A few professional eyes from our service company came to inspect the broken system that was now hobbling along with that temporary fix. We were told we needed to replace the entire system that used an old (too expensive to replace) coolant.

An estimate with a few pricey options brought a mountain of stress into my inbox a few hours later.

I am sure you can imagine our journey these last two years, and since the challenges of Jon’s stroke, we are being stretched. The timing of needing a new $10-12K system is not ideal.

The nest egg of so many generous loved ones has been sustaining us these last 18 months and alleviating the burden of many things—unexpected medical costs for equipment, extra miles on the car, and so many other things to keep our lives running.

I was sharing my story with my prayer warrior friend, Jen @sisterhoodofthetravelingrelics, who leads prayers for us each night on Instagram. Jen told me she asked God to reveal how she could help our situation, given she couldn’t provide us with money.

Jen is trying to manage her recent crisis for a septic system that practically caved in and flooded her basement. Given Jen and her husband are in ministry work, funds are sometimes tight.

After praying, she realized she should contact her brother-in-law, who is in the HVAC business, to see if his company would consider offering philanthropy help.

As the day progressed, things were heating up, and we began to feel the weight of trying to figure out how we could make this work and replace the unit. I realize it is a luxury to have this in our home, so we were discerning many things. However, wanting Jon to be comfortable was essential to all of us.

Emotions were running high given this crisis, and a few other unnecessary things were stirring up the day. Jon and I decided to get out of the house for a change of scenery.

After grabbing iced teas at Chick-fil-a (don’t judge) and talking with a friend, Jon and I drove around and then landed in the parking lot of our favorite sacred space.

While parked, I saw and hugged an old friend. Clearly, God was giving me winks along this way. He wanted me to know I was on the right path in the Body of Christ.

We sat in the car, wiped a few tears, took a few deep breaths, and chatted about how we could make this work. We concluded and trusted: “God will take care of it.”

Then we rushed home to take our girls to dance.

While on our way, my cell phone rang.

I answered on the speaker phone to a pleasant young lady who explained who she was and told me she had heard our story about the air conditioning system.

She asked if it would be okay if she could send someone to our home the following morning to check out the system.

As I was listening to her explain all of this, I was also trying to process how she came to call me and how kind it was for her to want to give us an estimate.

She must have sensed my confusion, so she quickly explained that the president of her company wanted to replace our entire system FREE of CHARGE.

Silence fell over the call and our car.

Humbled and overcome with emotion again.

I gathered myself to try to speak and muster at least a thank you.

I glanced in the rearview mirror to see my girls trying to make sense of this call.

Disbelief.

She explained that by a series of emails—a virtual 6 degrees of “Kevin Bacon” moment that occurred across two states—our system would be donated by a local supply house. Her company would cover the installation cost.

After hearing about Jon’s battle and our journey, the HVAC distribution equipment company, Ferguson Enterprises, where Jen’s brother-in-law worked, wanted to help our family.

A local branch of Ferguson had their hand in finding an installer; thus, the phone call to schedule the installers to come the next day.

Two compassionate and kind gentlemen showed up the following morning from the company, Brandywine Valley Heating and Air Conditioning, the woman on the phone represented.

That was Thursday.

Today is Friday.

Maybe you ask why we are smiling tonight in the picture I share.

Jon and I are sitting here on our deck because the outdoor breeze is comfortable enough as the inside of our house cools down by the generous gift of many.

We woke up early today to open our door to a few good men who worked in the heat all day to be sure our family would be cared for.

Our new unit was installed today.

This was a moment when the Body of Christ comes together, each doing their part.

I always say we find God in the details. We see Him in those tiny little things that don’t always seem to matter.

This was a full circle moment where God lets us know He has been with us all along the way.

Twenty-two years ago, I left my job when Jon and I started our family and were expecting our first baby, Sophia. You know my girl and podcast Co-Host.

That job was at Ferguson Enterprises. It was a job with a lot of long hours, hard work, and many laughs that gave me the freedom to put Jon through school as we started our married life. It was a job where I made lifetime friends: some may be reading this post now.

In fact, I spoke to my old boss, who no longer works at Ferguson, just last week. Sadly, he is all too familiar with the entire brain cancer journey and all its effects. He has been an ear many a moment for me. I am grateful for his presence in my life then and now.

Make no mistake God is in the details, and He cannot be outdone in generosity.

“God will not be outdone in generosity.”—St Ignatius of Loyola

Miracles abound when we truly surrender and let God take care of everything.

Speaking of miracles…

One of the gentlemen (also a cancer survivor) who came to assess our situation told me when the compressor was replaced in 2005 was like giving a heart transplant to a 90-year-old. He agreed it’s a miracle it lasted this long.

I love reporting GOoD News, but now I am off to fix the kitchen sink with my son. It backed up last night, it’s not the first time, but that’s a story for another day.

“We must be positive that the Divine Providence of God always watches over us, and arranges all circumstances for our benefit, even when they are unpleasant for us.”—St Leo the Great.