Last year when we had the whole rabies shot/dog quarantined problem, it seemed like the worst summer ever. But, alas, this summer proved to be worse so while it’s not officially fall yet, school starts tomorrow, unofficially ending summer in my mind and so I bid this sucky summer a hearty farewell.

On the backdrop of Hurricane Harvey, it seems a bit whiny to complain but disasters come in different forms. To start off the summer, we had a problem with the kitchen sink backing up. Seemed like a simple problem, but $12K later with more work to be done and our whole downstairs torn up for most of the summer, it didn’t turn out that way. The cast iron pipes under the house have basically disengaged over time.  If you are interested in further details, I invite you to come over to see the colonoscopy of our pipes that the plumber did for us.  It’s a fascinating sight as Mike will tell you as after hearing the news, he watched the video over and over in what appeared to be a catatonic state. While that was going on, the air conditioner broke. Luckily that was a simple fix. Good thing as it happened on the hottest period this summer because air conditioners never break when it’s not at peak heat.

A coworker of mine passed away after a brief illness. She sat on the other side of my cubicle wall and I catch myself about to yell something over to her now and then. Still hard to believe she’s gone. We had a death in the family that has rocked us and family illnesses. Mike was diagnosed with a frozen shoulder which has caused him issues and Smokey has begun limping, showing his age. The washing machine had to be replaced. We seem to be falling apart at every turn.

But, despite the never-ending parade of bad news, I’m struck by the small graces and mercy we have seen. It’s the kindness of friends, the unexpected family time together, lost photos unearthed, or in my case, the unexpected sunflowers that grew this summer thanks for the birds and their birdseed. It’s the laugh in the darkest moments, the beginning of each new day and looking forward as Kathryn starts her senior year.

While I stopped my “Songs in the Key of MY Life” blogs a while ago, this song inspires and reminds me to look for the good to help pull us through the bad. Kind of like Mr. Rogers used to say “Look for the helpers.” You are never too old to need a helper (or angel) appear. 

How Mercy Looks from Here