March 21 – “On plumbing and short term memory”

We had another homeowner emergency the other day.  When I came back from the beach and took a shower, I noticed something was off.  It took a while for me to put my finger on it, probably because it should have been my toe I was focusing on.  The water in the shower wasn’t draining.  Now, sometimes it drains slowly because of some mixture of hair and soap clogging the drain, but not this time.  It wasn’t draining.  At all.  I checked the other bathroom, and sure enough, the toilet and the tub were both backed up.  So … with Spring Break guests at the beach who would most certainly want a shower when they returned, that meant another call to the plumber. 

We have a great plumber, though.  Jimmy Chanler.  He doesn’t do any advertising.  In fact I think all of his business is word of mouth referral.  You just call his number and leave a message, and when he can he gets back to you.  This time he called back and said he would be here within the half-hour.  Can’t beat that.  He roto-rootered us out and even had to do a small clearing out job on the shower drain.  As he pulled his snake back in, he measured the length he had to go before the clog was cleared.  I stepped off the distance, and the clog was actually clear out into the gutter.  He recommended giving them a call and asking the, to put in a cleanout on their right of way since the problem was technically theirs anyway.  So, congratulations, City of Galveston.  You just received an anonymous donation from another tax payer.  I paid to have your drain cleared out.  How about you take care of it next time?  That sounds fair, doesn’t it?  At least we got it cleared out in time for everyone to get cleaned up when they got home.

Our Spring Break guests left yesterday morning.  That meant lots of pictures with Mom.  She is still in that Manic MeeMaw state, by the way.  She talks constantly, and she has started up an old practice she used to do all the time – journaling.  She writes everything down – every person’s name, who they are related to and where they live, every event that anyone mentions and as many details as she can convince you to give, every pill she has ever taken.  And then, after a few minutes have passed, she pulls the notebook back out and rehashes everything.  And by “rehashes” I mean she reads out loud everything she wrote and asks us for confirmation as to accuracy and usually for even more information, since she doesn’t remember what we told her the first time.  All of the memory issues are starting to wear on her a bit, I think, because in the midst of her frustration she has even displayed a just a trace of a temper that I haven’t seen in years.  In fact I don’t think I have ever seen it.  But hey, I can sure understand it.  Just hope my kids can understand it when I pull this one out of my hat in the years to come. 

And so, my children and grandchildren, put this in your pocket now for those future times when I don’t remember who you are.  Rest assured … I love you.

Proverbs 20:6 says, “Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?”

Father, thank you for the supernatural patience you have gifted Chris with as she deals most extensively with Mom.  And I guess some of it has spilled over onto me as well.  We sure have needed it.  Amen.