Happy New Year

Wow.... I can't believe it's been almost a month since I last posted. I've meant to post many times, but just never got around to it.

Let's see..........

I am now working full time. The job I'm doing is truly a blessing. I'm working from home and I thank God for that opportunity. The fact that I'm working 36 hours a week doesn't exactly thrill me, but it IS helping to give us those nice frivolous little extra things like heat and electricity. It has just been SO long since I've had to be on someone else's schedule.....

I know I posted before about how we were doing just great without a dryer. Well, I was sick for quite a bit and spent Christmas night and the next week pretty much in bed 24/7. It's kind of hard to catch up on all that laundry when I can only wash & hang 2-3 loads a day- if that much even got done around school & work. Finally, I figured we could cough up $50-$60 for a used dryer. Of course I wasn't finding anything like that on Craigslist.... and any even CLOSE to that price were electric. So, I posted under household that I was looking to buy a used gas dryer. My post went something like:
Wanted: GAS dryer
Hubby got laid off, so we can't afford a new one.
Gas is a must.
Working is a must.
Ugly is just fine!

That night I got an email from someone offering to sell me theirs for $100. Maybe they didn't realize how ugly I was willing to go?
The next day I get an email from Robert that says:
I have a white Kenmore gas dryer in my garage that works fine. I live in an all-electric house, so I have no need for it anymore. You can have it for free, but you will have to come to my house and pick it up. Let me know, ###-###-####, Robert
After I realized that my mouth was hanging open like fool I felt the tears start. God is SO good! Tim drove out there a couple days later (I had to work) to pick it up. Come to find out that Robert and his wife lead the children's ministry at their church. They have been trying to give this dryer away for a year! God kept them patient all this time until we needed it!

I've been in prayer quite a bit the last 24 hours.
*A very dear friend and sister Christian got in touch with me yesterday to let me know that her 11 year old niece just had a brain tumor removed. The doctors said that if they had found it even 7 days later, she may not have made it.
*Another friend ended up in the hospital yesterday. This person is going through LOADS of testing to try to find the source of this particular problem. The couple are dear, dear friends of ours. We are praying and praying and trusting God. I do wish there was more we could do. Seeing their faith at work melts my heart.
*Yet another friend ended up in the hospital after enduring back problems that couldnt' be diagnosed for WAY too long, the doctors found staph infection in his back. Praying for healing for him as well.

Puts my whining about my dryer, or lack of one, right into perspective, doesn't it?

Today, on our way back from karate class, I had to stop at the post office. Another nasty storm had just started. As I was waiting for a left turn arrow, I see a man standing outside of his car in the driveway at Walgreen. Something (someONE) made me open my window and ask, "Do you need to call someone?" The man who was standing closer to the road, who I thought was with the man by car pointed to other guy and said, "I think he does".
So I pulled in behind him to offer him my phone.
This man tells me, "I need to go across the street to get some gas (he had run out of gas) and my baby is in the car". Not sure exactly what he wanted, I asked him if he wanted me to watch his baby while he went. He said yes.
(Now, if you weren't there, you might wonder why he didn't just take his baby daughter with him. It was VERY nasty out. It was snowing ice- ice that feels like it is cutting into your face. And crossing that street wasn't exactly safe- it was sooooo icy & slippery.)
His car was locked (I presume... I didn't attempt to open the doors) so I just stood outside his car watching his beautiful daughter while he went to get gas. She couldn't have been more than 8 months old and was as happy as could be. She just watched Sierra & I (Sierra was not about to pass up the chance to gawk at a baby!) while we waited. 5-10 minutes later, dad was back- newly purchased & filled gas can in hand. We chatted for less than a minute when I realized he was pulling money out of his wallet to hand me.
"Absoluetly NOT!"
"Please"
"No. This is what people SHOULD do. People SHOULD take care of each other."
"You're right. We should"
We shook hands, and he waved as we drove away.
God was SO THERE!

And for me and my intense, deep 'dis-like' of winter..... It was warm & SONny for a short time today in Garfield Heights, Ohio.