Overtime

My guardian angel must be working over time.

A couple of nights ago, Charlie went into the laundry room and happened to check the dryer for some article of clothing he wanted. He noticed that everything was still wet, and tried to turn it on with no success. This, of course, alarmed him and he yelled up to me, "Annie, is the dryer broken?!" I replied that maybe it had come unplugged. The washing machine is a little off kilter and can sometimes get so crazy that it knocks the plugs out of the loose socket.
No, it was plugged in.
So, Charlie did what any man would do and pulled out the dryer to find out what the problem was. Behind the dryer, he found one of Felicity's dresses which was seared and the connection between the dryer cord and the dryer looked as if it had been burned. As soon as he touched the cord, sparks started flying. He mumbled something about how we were lucky the house didn't burn down today.
For safety's sake, he decided we would just unplug it for now and hit the switch to shut off power to the laundry room. In the dark, he went to unplug the dryer, only to find out that those particular outlets are not on that circuit. Sparks flew like crazy, and from where I was standing, I could see a massive yellow, orange, and blue flame shooting out from under the dryer. Charlie stood there, dumbfounded. I ran screaming (did I mention this was at about 11:00 at night and the children were all asleep in the surrounding bedrooms?!) up the stairs. Luckily, the pile of laundry waiting to be washed didn't catch fire, and everything went back to normal.
Charlie looked at me and laughed, telling me that he was glad to know that in the case of an emergency, I would run away screaming! We laughed together about each of our reactions, and then I told him that I was actually heading upstairs to get the fire extinguisher.
We eventually had to kill the electricity in the whole house so that he could unplug the dryer, while I stood poised with the fire extinguisher ready to go! That went without incident, and now the dryer is just sitting in my laundry room taking up space. We can't really afford to buy another one, and we don't plan to, as we are about 99% sure we are moving houses this summer to a place without laundry hook-ups (boo! but, it's worth it - more on that later).
For now, I'm just thankful that it's been pretty nice outside and I can hang out my laundry. Hanging laundry for 5 people and 2 children in cloth diapers is not the easiest task, but I'll catch up eventually and surely get into a groove.

In the last couple of months, I have been stripped of many modern convienences (thankfully not all at once), and I can't help but reflect upon this time and be thankful. Spending 2 1/2 hours in the bathroom washing dishes by hand is not fun, but it gives one the opportunity to be thankful for the material gifts God has given to lighten the load. I have tried to deal with my lack of kitchen, then lack of kitchen sink, then lack of dishwasher, then lack of clothes dryer with a spirit of mortification. These incidences have given me a chance to be thankful for the luxuries in my life, to pray more for those who work much harder than I, and to spend more time working than relaxing.
The fact of the matter is, that despite the fact that I have a mob of very small children, a busy husband, and a larger-than-I-need house to take care of, I don't really have to work that hard. Sure, many, even most, days I work from the moment my feet hit the floor to the middle of the night when I can finally sit down with my husband to unwind. But, intersperced between all that working I do have time for leisure - unlike many others in this world. Here I am blogging, even. I have time for prayer, for reading, for talking with my friends, for playing with my kids. Just because I don't have as much time for these things as maybe someone in a different state of life, does not mean that I am suffering. All this work is truly sanctifying. And I, for one, am thankful that my kitchen fell apart and my dryer went up in flames!

Of Jesus' thirty-three years, thirty were spent in silence and obscurity, submission and work. -#485 The Furrow by St. Josemaria Escriva

Comments

[Shannon]

thanks be to God you are all safe! thanks for your comment on my blog...no worries about the email; I know things are crazy!

[Erin]

I was laughing right along with Charlie that you ran away screaming, even though it was for the fire extinguisher! I'm glad to hear that nothing caught fire. I was noticing your cloth diapers drying and I wanted to know how that was going for you? Have you experienced any problems like blowouts, staining, smells? I just ordered cloth contours and covers for my son, so hopefully by this time next week, he'll be in cloth. I just got so tired of his diaper rashes! I've also been researching on how to make fitted cloth diapers using extra fabric I have around my apartment.

[Stina]

Thank God for that Guardian angel!

I came to your blog through the Loveliness Fair. I am enjoying it! God bless you and your family.

[Cathy]

What a true spirit of mortification,,,I start to simply shake at the thought of a broken washer or dryer!!!!!
Thankyou for your kind words on my blog (hometeacher_in_pink)you are the first one to congratulate me on my upcoming adoption !!!!! May God richly bless you for recieving HIS precious children with such a grateful heart!!!!
In Christ,
Cathy

[Susan]

I hope that your dryer can be repaired or that a new dryer will soon serve your home.

I too loved your reaction to the flaming appliance.

[Mary M]

What an amazing story. Thankfully everything was okay. I was just saying in my laundry post how much I appreciate the modern laundry conveniences and now see you are having to live without - it really puts things in perspective. You have a very positive attitude.