On Tuesday, I began sharing the repair ripple effect around our house these last few months.   In last half of 2010 every time we turned around something was needing fixed from household to physical and more.  God has a way of Loosening Our Grip on things we want to keep within our control.

The repair domino effect continued:

• Glasses – it has been over 3 years since Jake and I had our eyes checked and new glasses.  We bit the bullet and went to WalMart got our eyes checked and purchased new glasses.  The neat part was we learned in our 3 1/2 hour visit that the doctor played tennis with a friend of ours from church, it’s a small world.
• Dental Work – it had been almost 4 years since Jake and I had gone to the dentist.  We have chosen to spend the money on the kids and wait on going ourselves.  Even though our teeth weren’t hurting we both had work that needed to be done which added up very quickly.  We really like our dentist but I had forgotten how much it costs, however, if we didn’t get it repaired it would eventually become painful and more expensive.  Thankfully over the last couple of months of 2010 we were able to get both of us up to date.
• Dryer – My dryer has been slowly fading over the course of several years. It has been repair many times in the 10 years we have owned it.  I was under the impression that they lasted longer.  In a typical week I only do 4 to 5 loads of laundry so it wasn’t like it was from over use.  The heating aliment was replaced once or twice.  Two years ago the dial stopped working, you couldn’t adjust the heat or length of the dryer.  Thankfully we could still push the button and it would run, however, it NEVER shut off on its own so you would have to stay home and set a timer so you can take them out.  Many loads were too wet or too dry over the course of a couple years.  Over the last year it began taking between 1 to 4 hours to dry a load of clothes.  We finally decided it was time to replace it,
• Van Repair & Water Pump – the van wasn’t running well early this fall and it was getting to the point where we where worried if it would start and run for us.  Jake didn’t want me stranded somewhere with the kids so we took it in.  There were several things going on and we were able to get it repaired.  A month later the water pump blew and it was in for another shop visit.  The girls asked why the van was going to the doctor so often!
• Water Line to the House – one day when I came home after work there was no water at our house.  The water company wasn’t doing any repairs  in our area and since it had been cold the last few days they indicated that we had a burst pipe.  We found the location of the leak in the middle of our flower garden.  The previous owner had a garden water faucet hooked up to the old well and when they ran city water they kept that on the line.  Since the faucet was covered up we just assumed it went to the old well which was not the case.  Thankfully we were able to fix this one on our own with the help of my brother the extra water cost more than the pieces to fix the faucet and we only had to go without water a couple times.  We no longer have an extra faucet in the middle of our flower garden it is now buried underground with the other pipes.

Even though I would never chose for all of these items to happen within a few months God’s timing was truly wonderful.  Jake was able to start feeling a little better after the surgery and he took on a new contract before some of the household items started wearing out.  Looking back over the year I an encouraged to know that I am not alone.  I have an amazing God, wonderful husband, sweet kids and awesome family and friends.    You are not alone either.  Even though 2010 or another year may have been tough on you physically, emotionally, spiritually and financially you are not alone.  It is through the tough times that you can be renewed and strengthened.  Despite the minor inconveniences 2010 has brought into my life I have much to rejoice about and be thankful for in my life.  There are moments that I will treasure forever looking back over this year.  Hopefully in 2011 it will be smooth sailing as far as repairs, however, I do want God to continue guiding me as I look forward to a fun and exciting 2011 jammed packed with memories!

Loosening My Grip is a series on areas in my life I am learning to let go of slowly. A couple months ago I was studying Jonah and one of the phrases that popped out at me was “Whatever you are holding on to in this life, hold it loosely so it won’t hurt when the Lord has to pry your fingers open to take it away.”  I have found that in some areas God has had to pry my fingers off of whatever I am holding onto one finger at a time.  There are areas in my life that I feel like I need control over and hold onto them tightly.  I have been learning how to let go and hold loosely so God can do His work in my life.