What if Your Blessings Come through Raindrops

A new blog post is way over due, but things have been kind of hectic for us (or me at least) since we moved into our new house. We have enjoyed being in our new place so much and being so close to everything. It's been a lot of fun making it our own and making it feel like home. We also received a very cute, four-legged housewarming gift, Dixie. She's a 4 month old Basset Hound who has stolen our hearts and has become a big part of our little family. However, the responsibilities of homeownership have been quite overwhelming during our first month.  It all started Easter Sunday (of all days!). The night before while I was taking a shower, I noticed water started to stand in the shower, but I didn't think anything of it. I just thought it was a clogged drain. I get out and see about an inch of water standing in our tub. Now, I'm no plumber, but I knew THAT wasn't normal. Cody got the help of one of our neighbors, and they snaked the drains in our master bath and got them unclogged. (Here is where it all starts going downhill.) When they got those drains unclogged, water began to seep out from the base of the toilet in the guest bathroom, which signified a major backup issue in our plumbing somewhere that wasn't going to be an easy fix. On Sunday, Cody called some guys from the water and sewage department in town to see if they could come solve the problem. When I got home from church, Cody met me at the car and warned me not to go in. Well, hello, with him making a statement like that I HAD to go inside, but after going in, I wished I wouldn't have!  When the guys from the city tried to unclog the blockage by blowing out the pipes, they had their blower turned on high which did successfully unclog the pipes but caused all of the nastiness to flow back through the pipes and come out of the drains into our house. There was so much force behind it that water and sewage had splattered all over the counters and floor in our kitchen and come over onto the carpet in our living room on the other side of the counter. Our guest bathroom had junk splattered all over the walls and floor. Our house smelled like.... well I'll let you figure that one out. Thankfully the blockage was on the city's end of the pipe, so they did pay for the cleaners to come sanitize and clean our house. After all of that, I just needed to get away. Cody had Dixie outside to keep her out of the mess, and I knew she was miserable being outside so long. I decided I would just go to my parents' house and take Dixie with me. On the way, I got a speeding ticket (69 mph in a 55  mph zone- if you're going to speed might as well speed big!).  Since then, our refrigerator went out, and we had to buy a new one. I had to get all 4 new tires on my car. My mom has been having some health issues that have yet to be solved. Dixie got sick with Parvo and had to be hospitalized for 2 days. When it rains, it definitely pours! I have been stressed to say the least- financially, emotionally, and physically, and I admit I haven't had a very positive attitude about it the majority of the time. However, in the midst of all of this madness, I have been reminded that God provides and not always in big, miraculous ways like we tend to expect but in small, subtle ways, too. He reminded me that He takes care of us and gives us what we need when we need it through my remembering I got new insurance that went into effect in April and decreased the cost of my medication by $50. We totally needed that extra $50 at the time, too! God is great, and I'm so glad He never forsakes His children, even when we forsake Him. Thank you, Father, for Your perfect plan You have for our lives and for Your love and grace! Thank you for blessing us and providing for us at just the right times.