I love my house… let me say that right now, before I RANT about it! It’s so nice that I don’t have to have permission from a church to do something to it, nor do I have to consult any other kind of landlord about changes I might want to make, or things that need fixing. That’s the good news… The bad news is that when something goes wrong, it’s my problem!
Our house was built in 1970. I suppose there were building codes here then, but I think the attitude was mostly, “Do what you want to do!” I’m pretty sure that the guy who built the house did a lot of the work himself. We’ve had all kinds of “interesting” things to fix over the 16 years we’ve been in the house, but nothing more frustrating than plumbing. We have had plumbers come NUMEROUS times, and they’ve done various things, all of which added up to “band-aid fixes.” It’s worked… until it didn’t again. But the time for “band-aids” is over.
This week, part of the main drainpipe for our sewer collapsed. It IS over 50 years old, so I guess it has lasted out its service life. But it’s made a pretty ugly mess for us. The only way to fix it is to dig it up. And guess where it runs? From our bathrooms, under our bedroom, under the breezeway, and under my shop. It’s going to take a LOT of concrete demolition before we even get to the part where the pipe gets replaced and everything is functional again. Then, after the pipes are replaced, concrete will have to be repoured, and we will be operational. Of course, we’ll be operational with a concrete floor in our bedroom. We’ll have to re-do the nicest floor in the house, and probably the bathroom floors as well. UGH!
I’m not even going to write about the cost, but it’s going to be a lot. But considering the work that needs to be done, I think we are getting a fair price from our plumbers. We’ve known Barry at J’Duva plumbing since his kids were in our pre-school, and he was always willing to go out of his way for us at the Church, and he’s done the same for us in our home.
All right…. Enough of the whining and venting! What’s your reason for telling this sad tale of woe? I guess the point is that anything worthwhile will wind up costing you something. This is true of a house, or a car, and it’s also true of relationships. Families are important, and they take maintenance. When you have a problem, “band-aids” may work for a while, but eventually, when the water starts to come up through the floor, quick fixes won’t work anymore and something, often a difficult something, needs to be done. But your family is certainly worth it! Churches (the people) take maintenance too. There are always going to be times where things get difficult for folks. A “band-aid” may work for a while, but eventually, things have to be addressed. It may be a difference of opinion between brothers, or it may be that someone needs to be comforted in their time of distress. It may even be a guy that needs help moving furniture before they tear up his floor. 😊 As a church family, we come together to help one another! God’s Church is worth it! I guess what I’m getting at is to be mindful of others. Look for ways to help and comfort one another. Look for ways to grow God’s family here in Havasu! Look for ways to Glorify God in everything you do and say!
Dealing with things as they come, right alongside of you,
John
