A Valentine Tale

First off, let me wish each and every one of you a *belated* Happy Valentine's Day!!! I was planning to post my Valentine greeting to all of you yesterday, but as you will see, yesterday took a bit of a detour...

It all began Saturday when we finally had our first bit of sunshine and warmth after days and days of cold, rainy weather, and my sweet hubby was preparing to do a bit of maintenance on our water well. I had started a load of clothes in the washer and when it was done, he would shut off the water pump and work on the tank. Before we could get to that point however, water and "ick" began gurgling and backing up in both toilets and in all the sinks. Yuck!  So I shut off the washer, which was almost to the rinse cycle, and hubby went out to take a look at the sewer line. Yep, the sewer line connecting all our drains and the septic tank was backed up.  That meant one of two things - either there was a clog (better option), or the septic tank was full and would need to be drained (worst option). It was already almost 4:00 in the afternoon, and the ensuing investigation and potential repairs would not be able to be completed by dark, so we began to make plans to head to Mom and Dad's house to campout for the night...

Hubby always works on Sundays, so he had to call his boss and take a vacation day (fun) to be able to work on the septic issue. So on Valentines morning, hubby and I headed back to our house to assess and tackle the problem. (I was along more for the worrying and hand-wringing necessary moral support for such an operation). Hubby is an avowed  do-it-yourselfer, and there was only fleeting discussion about calling a plumber or a septic specialist...even if we could afford one. So, praying (literally) for the problem to be a clog instead of a whole-septic problem, that sweet man of mine delved into the sewage line (and yes, it was as disgusting as it sounds), and with McGuyver-like resourcefullness, armed only with an electrician's fish-tape (long, thin metal-thingy), a coat hanger, a screw-driver, and a roll of duct-tape (I kid you not), he somehow managed to dislodge what turned out to be a clog in the line (Hallelujah!).

(and yes, I took a picture...)

My hero of a hubby did it!! We were back in operation - clog solved, mission accomplished!! I have never been so proud of that man!! It really was amazing to watch. In a funny way, it was really very romantic how he saved the day! Hey, it may be far from the normal idea of a romantic Valentine's Day, but it turned out to be one of the best Valentine's Days ever!

I hope your Valenine's Day was wonderful - no matter how you spent it! Even if you found yourself alone yesterday (been there, done that), you can rejoice in the fact that our Hero Jesus pulled us out of the muck and mire of our sin, washed us clean, and is preparing to spend all eternity with us, His Bride! That's the greatest romantic story of all! Please know you are deeply loved...

"He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along."

Psalm 40:2