I Feel So Blessed...

God is so good. It's amazing how He works things out for us sometimes.

I'm not sure why I decided to do it... well, yes, now I know.... but I thought I'd just go by and get me a Buffet Dinner from Popeye's after work.

As soon as I walked in the door, someone called my name. I looked over and there sat Rita and her husband Rick. I felt like I already knew him because I'd been through their wedding pictures so many times on Facebook.

I went over to talk to them and ended up standing there probably for 30-45 minutes. Just talking. Anyway, in the conversation I brought up the 8-year old that was run over by the lawn mower this past weekend and killed. (Because it's still bothers me.) And, of course, I'm still in disbelief that something so bad could happen to a child that big. And so we got to talking about mowing. And Rick told me about how he'd hurt himself with a lawn mower running over him. (He's pretty big.)

One thing led to another and I was talking about trying to get my yard mowed and the belt breaking on my mower and Jef bringing me a new belt today at work ($38+) and that I really wanted to get my yard mowed but I was going to have to figure out how to get that belt on.

Well, I got real presumptuous then. Rick just seemed like the kind of guy that really would not mind doing that for me. And, after our conversation, I could tell he would also know how to do it. So, I ASKED HIM if he'd come by my house and put my belt on. I mean, ASKED... I wanted him to know I really meant I needed someone to do it for me. (They were coming almost through Morgan City anyway, because they were going to plant trees--for earth day-- out West Point Road.)

He assured me that he would be glad to do it for me. (He really did come across to me as the kind of a guy that would be glad to or I wouldn't have kept on until I was sure I had convinced him I was serious.)

And I am so glad I asked him, because when he came by and did it and I stood there and watched, I saw first hand that it was NOT something for a novice to tackle. I marveled at how he was able to know just what to take loose and... well the whole operation amazed me.... but more than that.... as I stood there and watched I realized HOW GOOD GOD WAS TO ME that he had them go to Popeye's right when I needed them to be there. (He takes such good care of me.)

I told Rick that I REALLY appreciated what he was doing but that I also felt like God did it for me...that He was the one that had them be there at just the right time. They agreed. They even told me the chance circumstances that caused them to decide to go eat there tonight. I had a wonderful time visiting with them. They are both really nice. And he just seemed HAPPY to help me.

Jef was going to call Josh and have him see about putting that belt on but I found out later Josh was sick. But, even if he'd come to do it, I doubt he'd have known that you had to take the bottom part of the mower loose to get it on. Rick acted like he'd done it numerous times. As we were talking he told me that he'd even showed Dustin how to align his car at home. He said it takes a lot of patience and... hmmm... what else? ... I think he said patience and a tape measure... maybe that's what he said.

My lawn mower tire was flat and I had some fix-a-flat so he even fixed that for me and I was told that I needed to drive around on the mower for awhile as soon as it was put in so it would spread around or it would dry on one side of the tire. (It's amazing what you can learn from people who know how to do stuff if they'll just tell you.)

Rita got on and started the mower, with him telling her exactly what to do to make it start up right... and when it started, he said something else that made me know he knew what he was doing. I can't describe exactly how it sounds but he said to Rita, "Don't worry about that. All those MTD engines do that when they start up." It had taken me quite a bit of researching to find out that my lawn mower was made by MTD. (It's called a Turf Pro.) But when Jef had brought me the belt, he told me that the guy at Buddy's small engine had said, before he had the model number to be sure, that my mower was probably made by MTD because MTD would make them for McDonald's if McDonald's wanted a mower with their name on it. (I had never heard of MTD until I started trying to find out where I could get a belt for this mower.)

So I got my belt on, my tire "fixed" and I finished mowing the yard behind the house--in front of the "creek"-- before it got dark. And tomorrow I'll get to do the big back yard. Thanks to Rick. And, I feel like I've made a new friend.

I feel extremely BLESSED tonight.


CORRECTION UPDATE; In talking to Josh today, I learned that he would have known how to replace the belt to my lawn mower because he has done it before and he too had to take the bottom off. So he knew all that. But, by his own admission, he was not something he accomplished easily. And, he really would not have felt like doing it for me this time anyway because on Thursday, he was sick. So, again, I feel like my need was taken care of at just the right time because if it hadn't been done on Thursday, I couldn't have got my yard done on Friday, and all the rains and bad weather started coming in on Friday evening and lasted all day Saturday.