There is a good side and a bad side to everything. I was recently reminded of that when it comes to home ownership. While it is wonderful to own the place you lay your head at night, the hassle of upkeep and repairs can be daunting. There are times when things occur that make me wish I had the ease of calling a landlord and allowing them to deal with it!

A stark reminder of this occurred when the supply hose to the toilet in our master bath broke away from the connection and poured water throughout that side of our home until we discovered it about an hour later. By that time, there was water standing not only in the bathroom, but both of our closets, the bedroom, and it had flowed under the walls into my office and the hallway. Simply put…it was a mess.

From the time we were building our home 30 years ago, anytime I encountered a problem or needed a handyman, I knew it was “dime and a quarter” time. If you knew my dad, you know that was a reference to his phone number. Ending in 1025, he would tell people a dime and a quarter was all they needed to reach him, as a way to help them remember his number. There have been many times in the last four years since his passing I’ve wished for that number to work. During times like those I pause, think for a moment, and decide what it is he would tell me to do. Sometimes I know, and sometimes I do not. And there are times, even now, that he tells me. After the floors were pulled up and the workmen had left, I walked into my office and gasped–as there on the floor, in my Daddy’s handwriting, were notes he had written to workmen when we were building our home in 1992.|

Over the last four years, I’ve realized Daddy is always with me. Not only in the pennies I find, but the lessons taught, the memories made, and the laughs we sometimes still have at his expense! That love, shared and given so freely, mirrors that of my heavenly Father and for that, I am eternally grateful.

Until next time,
Karen Altom