I haven't been blogging much. I compose blogs in my head... I REALLY want to document this time in my life while my children are young...
We have been SO BUSY since we moved! I packed everything so carefully... too carefully, I am now realizing. I even took the pictures out of their frames just in case the glass broke! Now, there are pictures and frames all over my living room and dining room. The chaos is driving me crazy!
We've had many little things keeping us occupied and busy; but there was one major event worth mentioning. Our house backs up to a lake and a walking trail, so we've headed out the back door on many occasions to either feed the ducks or go for a walk. From the moment we first moved in, I occasionally noticed a faint gas smell. It wasn't inside the house or even right next to the house... it was about 4 feet away from the back door! Charles couldn't smell it at all, so I thought maybe I was smelling some strange plant or something. I got on my hands and knees and sniffed the wall along the entire backside of my house... nothing. I went under the house into the crawls space and sniffed... nothing. I got on my knees and sniffed all around the hot water heater... nothing. I tried to forget about it.
A couple of weeks ago, on a Thursday night; I woke up in the middle of the night thinking, "I've got to get that gas smell checked!" I hadn't had a dream, exactly... it was more of just waking up with a single thought in my head. I was thinking, "What if the house blows up while I'm substitute teaching tomorrow... what if my husband and my 4-year-old blow up?"
I looked over at Charles, but he was sound asleep. I didn't smell gas and hadn't noticed an increase in the smell outside, so I shrugged it off and went back to sleep. With three children, our sleep is disturbed plenty as it is... I knew I shouldn't wake him over a "what if?"
I shrugged off the feeling and went back to sleep. By morning, I had forgotten all about it.
That evening, Nathan had a friend spend the night. We walked to the playground; and when we returned Charles and I both smelled a strong odor about 4 feet from the house. We both walked around the yard, trying to pinpoint the source.
I decided to play it safe this time and called the gas company. The woman answering emergency calls was very matter of fact, and instructed me to open all of the windows and doors. She said not to turn on any lights or appliances that were not already on, and not to light any candles or matches. I remembered my feeling of fear the night before, and her words did not comfort me!
While we were waiting for a gas company service man to arrive and check for a leak, we just sat there discussing her instructions. Since the gas smell was only on the outside, we decided against opening the doors and windows. The workman arrived and did indeed discover a leak. He said it was probably a small leak... but a small gas leak is still a gas leak, and he cut off our service! He assured us he would turn it back on as soon as we had the leak repaired, and left us at about 8:00 PM on a Friday night.
I immediately thought of the rate: time and a half for plumbing work on the weekends! We discussed waiting until Monday... for about 3 seconds. However, the reality is that with three boys and a cub scout fishing expedition scheduled for the next morning; we couldn't be going without baths and showers until Monday! Not to mention the washing machine and dishwasher...
We called the plumber, and they were able to come out the next morning. He dug up the pipe with the small leak; and the metal tubing literally crumbled in his hand when he removed it from the ground. Apparently, the only thing holding that gas pipe together was the ground surrounding it! $1500 later, we had hot water and a much safer house.
As I reflected on the feeling of urgency I'd had Thursday night about the gas smell; I was amazed to realize what God had tried to do for us. I ignored the "feeling" or "intuition" of course, and paid the consequences (time and a half!) Some might say God saved us from an explosion... and He did in a way, because no explosion was going to happen outside His will. But in addition to that, I believe He was trying to save us that $500 that we had to pay for having it repaired Saturday instead of Friday. What other explanation is there for me waking up with a sense of urgency Thursday night, when we didn't notice the increase in smell until Friday night? God wasn't wringing His hands, thinking "Oh, I hope they don't blow up!" No, He knew He wasn't done with us. When He is done with us, we'll be gone; no matter how careful we've been.
