Out of Order

My resident 8yo plumber has declared the upstairs toilet "Out of Order". He even put a sign on the seat so we wouldn't forget. He's been plunging after every use for two days now, and still can't get suction. *SIGH* Guess we'll have to call in the big guns on Monday. I am a bit frustrated by this ( I know, in the grand scheme of things, right?) The downstairs toilet is fine, but still, these little annoyances add up.

I am pretty sure that one of the lessons that God has shown me this year is that what you think you want is not always what you want. Since we have moved away from Ohio when I was 12 years old, I have dreamed of moving back. And so the boys and I are living that dream, and for the most part, we've really liked it. I always thought I would love to buy an old house and renovate it, that it would be so neat to live in an old home. So we were able to rent "this old house" for the year, and I can say with most confidence now, that renovation is over-rated.

Almost everything that can go wrong with a house HAS in the past year. The DAY after Chuck left for Korea, the pipe from the upstairs bathroom was leaking in the basement. That resulted in the toilet and part of the floor being removed in the bathroom; cutting a hole in the kitchen wall, floor to ceiling, in order to replace the pipe. Then the hole in the bathroom or the kitchen wasn't fixed for several weeks. I was living in a construction zone for a month and a half! (I am "A Place for Everything" gal, you do the math!) Door knobs come off continuously in your hands when using the doors (just one of many old house offerings), we have no water pressure, the hot water heater went out just last week, and now we're back to toilet issues. The owners have had to replace something in this house almost every month since we've been here, through nothing we have done or not done. So yeah, my honeymoon with old houses is OVER!

So as I was sitting here pondering whether to call the owners now or let them enjoy the weekend, I dedided to read a few blogs. Over at Esther's blog I read:

Today I will accept any suffering that comes my way, confident that it is somehow part of God’s loving plan. -Regnum Christi Daily Meditation

And I commented: "Hmmm...I needed this reminder today! But I wonder, does that suffering include toilet issues in a 109 yo house?! Again? That plunging is NOT helping?! I wonder, are no suction toilets part of God's plan?!"

Well, if nothing else, it reminded me that this really is a very small thing. It reminded me to offer up my "annoyance" for those who have no running water, or indoor plumbing, where families of 8 live in a house smaller than my bathroom made from cinder blocks and a cardboard roof.

It reminded me, that perhaps, the toilet wasn't the only thing out of order. So was my attitude. Maybe I'll just hang that sign around my neck and trust that yes, non-flushing toilets ARE a part of God's plan!