He's My Hero

Standing at the sink washing dishes and chatting with one of my girls I looked down to see my flip flopped feet standing in about an inch of water.  It was flooding out of the already broken dishwasher that I occasionally run to keep the inside from getting gross.  I ask my daughter, with some urgency in my voice, to get towels.  She comes back with 2...TWO squares of toilet paper.  (Which, now I can't stop laughing about but at the time) changed my urgent voice into an all out crazed mother yell, "TOWELS CHILD...I SAID TOWELS!  BRING! ME! EVERY! TOWEL! IN! THIS! HOUSE!...NOW!!!"  By this time the water has found it's way under the stove and is almost out of the kitchen all together. 

Towels come and we at least stop the water from moving into other rooms of the house.  I managed to, somewhere in the chaos, turn off the dishwasher and now I gingerly attempt to open the door... more water. 

Sigh.

At this time I don't want my kids walking in the bacteria filled water that's been backed up in my broken dishwasher for who knows how long.  So I give them free reign of all electronics in the house.  Computer...video games...TV...anything. You can line up behind me for the mother of the year award...mmmk. 

I then start sucking water out of the bottom of my dishwasher with a turkey baster.   Seriously, just typing that sentence out is sad... so sad.   While I was doing that I really wanted to get angry...I mean really wanted to get angry.  But at who... or what.  So I just prayed.  Don't be too impressed.  I don't feel right now that my prayer carried much reverence.  But it was honest at least.  And it wasn't any surprise to God that I was struggling at that moment.   Anyhow, I don't know how long later, it was empty.  I manage to wrangle all the wet towels over to the washer. (Which incidentally I have never been more thankful to have in my kitchen as I was at that moment.)   Then I mopped and sat down for a second to let the floor dry.  Then we had sandwiches for supper because after the water went under the stove I was afraid to turn it on. 

I don't care much about the dishwasher.  It's been broken for going on 2 years.  What I hated most was having to meet Gregg at the door with yet another thing that broke.  Things are pretty crappy for us right now.  A lot of uncertainty.  And stuff keeps breaking.   Or there are cavities that need filling.  And stuff keeps breaking.   Did I mention that stuff keeps breaking.  While I type this, I'm so thankful that we are healthy.  I don't take that for granted.  This is all external.  I know this, but I really didn't want to add extra stress to Gregg with stuff like the stupid broken dishwasher.  But I couldn't move the stove to get to the water under it.   And of coarse after the crazed mom yelling for towels episode there was no way the kids weren't going to spill the beans. 

Anyway, he got home and was met at the door by 4 kids, all talking at once, telling a different part of the story.  I just stood smiling at him and he calmly asked me what was going on.  He changed out of his work clothes and immediately started working on the problem.  About 2 hours later we had a huge hole in our cabinets and a broken dishwasher in our back yard.  I'm not sure but I believe that actually qualifies us for higher white trash status.   

Yep, things are kind of tough right now.  We're trusting God to take care of us.  Even through the struggles we are trusting... and praying nothing else breaks. 

 
But as he was manhandling the dishwasher down the back steps, all I could think was... he's my hero, and I cannot imagine wading through the muck of our lives with anyone but him.   And I'm truly thankful...truly thankful!