Sometimes Angels Come When You Least Expect Them

Sept 2, 2009. - I didn't sleep last night. And I mean I really didn't sleep last night. My mind was going at a hundred miles an hour. Part of the problem was that I kept going over my to-do list for today.

So, at about 3:30, I finally got out of bed and unpacked some more boxes from my living room. Yes - I still have boxes in my living room (and every other room too). It's embarrassing, but true, so there you go.

Anyway, this morning came and I wasn't exactly at my best. Unfortunately, my to-do list was still running in my head, so I went out to cross off the first thing on the list - edge my front yard. I don't think the yard has ever been edged, and it was really bugging me. I bought a new weed whacker/trimmer the other day (after H told me not to - oops!), but it wasn't the really nice one I wanted. It was just a little corded electric one. So I read the manual and off I went.

The weed whacking was not bad, but my arms were tired before I even got to the edging. I hate edging. I tell my kids not to use the word hate, but sometimes it's necessary. I HATE edging. I got hit in the face with all kinds of debris and I could hear it hitting everything else including the house. Thank goodness I had moved my van across the street. As I looked at my thankfully safe van, I see that there are some professional lawn maintenance men working across the street. Knowing how idiotic I look, I wave and laugh and keep edging to the best of my and my machine's ability.

One of the men went to their truck, got in, drove it down by my house and got out. I didn't think anything of it until he gets out his industrial strength, steelbladed, gas powered edger and asked if he could edge the rest of my lawn for me. I was so grateful. I had been out for over an hour and was only a quarter of the way done. Please remember, the lawn has probably not been edged since man first walked on the moon, if even then, but his proper edger made short work of it. In the time it took me to put away all the bikes and helmets and toys that the kids had left out (that they didn't even get to play with due to all the flying debris) he finished the rest of the lawn for me.

He had no way of knowing how exhausted I was, or that I had 3 kids inside DESTROYING the house and making more work for me since they weren't allowed to ride their bikes. He will probably never know how grateful I am that he took that little time to help me. Sometimes angels come when you least expect them, and I am very thankful for mine today.