Smiles

I gotta share a little story that makes me smile. Lots of smiles actually. Every time I think about it…it makes me smile.

Hannah is keeping me busy. Very busy.

On Monday, an appraiser is coming to appraise the house. We have been trying to get the house ready to go.

Hannah has issues with time management…on every level. One level is…she thinks she can get everything done in a tiny window of time. Sometimes I have to do the math for her. 😂 For example, I might say…it takes this amount of time to drive to that place…estimate this amount of time to do what needs to be done…then it takes this amount of time to drive back. There is NO WAY we can get this done…before this time. 🤷‍♀️ We are working on the thinking-through-things process. She will eventually understand all things related to time…at some point in time. 😜

Having said that, Hannah wants to do a garage sale. Crystal Ann…loathes garage sales. I have been to so many garage sales in my life…stick a fork in me…I am done.

Even though I am poor and could use the money…I have always given it away.

I told Hannah…I will help you with the sale. I will get everything ready…but I am NOT working the sale, dealing with people, and dealing with money.

She was thrilled.

Dilemma

I also had to wash down a lot of stuff covered in spiderwebs and dirt. The garage had to be organized.

Did I mention it was in the 90’s yesterday?

I kick that stuff out pretty quickly. BUT…now I have a problem. There are these long boards in the garage that need to be moved out into the yard so I can rearrange the tables. Mason…the young man that mows, was coming to mow sometime in the morning. I can’t put the boards in the yard until he mows.

I wasn’t sure what to do. My day had come to a complete standstill until after he mowed. 🤔

Father said…start on the landscaping.

Her landscaping has gotten out of control. BAD! Whew…in the 90’s. Wow…ok. I had told Hannah…get me some hedge trimmers and I will trim all your bushes for you…but I am not doing them manually. Donovan confiscated ALL my landscaping equipment for his business. Mom owns nothing now.

Hannah gets a hedge trimmer from marketplace. No cord.

What did I do yesterday? I run to Ruler King. After finding a ton of three-prong cords but no two-prongs, I buy loppers. 🤨 Yep…trimmed every one of those bushes by hand…manually. I should have taken pictures. They looked damn good too.

Another Dilemma

In addition to trimming bushes that haven’t been touched in a few years, there are now trees growing in the landscaping. Trees that should not be there. Plus vines! And weeds!

It looked AWFUL!

The backyard was the worst so that is where I started. I am starting to make quite a pile. I asked Father…what am I supposed to do with this pile?

He said…pile it up in the driveway.

Ok…so I obeyed. Then I said to Him…we have no place to haul this. I have a truck bed to put it in but no place to dump it. Where are we going to haul this pile to?

No response.

I keep working all afternoon…making this huge pile.

I am just finishing up the front of the yard when Mason pulls up to mow the yard. Now it is about 5 pm.

I was a bit shocked to realize it was that late…and I had gotten the landscape trimmed up and deweeded by the time he had arrived.

We started chatting there in the yard. As we were discussing the landscaping, I asked him if he knew of a place I could haul my pile to. He said…I will take it with me.

Perfect Timing

I was stunned.

We loaded the whole pile up on his trailer in front of his mowing equipment.

Mason wore a necklace on the outside of his shirt. It had a huge cross on it. I said to him…so you wear a cross…does that mean you are a Christian. He nodded his head. (I had never met him before.)

I proceeded to tell him the story of my day. How I was there to get the garage sale stuff done but I needed him to mow the yard before I could finish up the work in the garage. I shared with him how Father had told me to work on the landscape in the meantime and put the pile in the driveway. Also, I told him I hadn’t a clue what to do with that pile.

But…Father did. He had me work on the landscaping and finish it up just as Mason was arriving to mow. My plan was to do the landscaping over the weekend after the garage sale. Mason was supposed to mow in the morning, but Father had Mason come at 5…again…just as I was completing the pile.

All along, Father had planned on Mason taking that pile for me because I had no place to put it.

When I told Mason the story, he smiled and said…His timing is perfect.

Indeed, it is.

Smiles

Just makes me smile. That is how I have lived my life for 30-plus years now. Never gets old. Always puts a smile on my face when He does that for me.

As Mason was finishing his work, Hannah came home, and we headed out for a 20-minute drive to pick up the mulch. That is another job on my list.

What is kind of funny…I told her to buy weed killer because I was not going to pull weeds. Listen, I am 52. I am getting too old for this.

Yesterday, I was pulling weeds like a crazy lady. 😂

I told Father…if it is true…you are telling me that I have to live until I am 102…then you better make it so I can still pull weeds at 102.

I keep saying…I need a raise. You don’t pay me enough. Hannah agrees with me. I deserve a raise. I think He should bottle me up and sell me. It is mind-blowing what I can get done in a day. Truly. Ms. Incredible for sure. Wonder Woman.

Bobbi is good for me. She has repeatedly said to me…I don’t know how you have been through what you have been through and are not bitter. Anyone else…would be bitter, angry, and full of unforgiveness.

When she said that the first time…I realized she was right. Hadn’t thought about that before.

I am a whiz at turning lemons into lemonade. Just my nature I guess.

Work

So much more work to do but we are getting it done.

Not even sore…not physically. Emotionally. Spiritually. In any way…about anything. Isn’t that wonderful?

Why yes…yes, it is!

Victory!!!!

It is mine.

AND that…that truth…puts lots of smiles on this face too!

HAVE A FANTABULOUS DAY!!!

I plan on it as well. Going to smooch all over two of my grandbabies today before I go back to that sweltering garage to finish up for the sale tomorrow. 😍

Hug and kiss those you love and tell them you love them!!! You won’t regret it in the end! If you don’t…you will.