In The World And In Heaven

My grandfather on my dad's side passed away when Jack was a baby. Jack was the last of his great grandchildren he knew. He and my grandmother are the parents of NINE children! He is the grandfather of 20+ grandchildren!

After he passed away, we noticed *his* number would present itself in the least expected moments. It kind of has become a symbol for his presence in our everyday life. That special number is 44. It was his favorite number. All of the family shares stories of when that number shows up in our daily lives. Sometimes it's minor, like the table number given at a restaurant. Other times it's bigger...like the Saints winning SuperBowl XLIV for the first time in history!!!

For me, it gives a sense of comfort. It reminds me of the man I remember as a child. He had a smile like no other! He was a practical joker. Jack may have inherited a touch of that trait. He had an infectious laugh. And he loved to serve in the community. As a plumber, he was even known to service people's homes and not bill them if he knew they couldn't afford it. There have been times I doubt myself in whatever it is I'm doing, and if that number appears, it's a green light and a reminder that everything is working out just as it should.

The other day I was standing at the gas pump and something made me think of PawPaw. I thought to myself...wouldn't that be something if the meter stopped on $44 dollars. As I stood staring, it passed over $44 and stopped on $51.44! I just had to smile!

Yesterday we had a major plumbing issue at our house. Actually, it was a minor plumbing issue but required our water to the house be shutoff until it could be fixed. With three boys, no water is a major plumbing issue. We were unable to get in touch with our landlord and didn't want to wait on a plumber. It was actually a crazy day. We were gone from the house most of the day. Soccer kept us at the fields from 5-7:30 because the boys' practice back-to-back and Jason coaches BOTH teams. I knew I wanted to get my dad, who is also a plumber, to help me over the phone once we got the boys fed, bathed (which required turning on the water briefly), and in bed. Finally, by 8:30-ish last night, I was able to talk to my dad. My dad is the BEST plumber in the WORLD! I honestly would rather him talk me through a repair on the phone, than have someone else "fix" it and have the problem (or another problem) a few months down the road. He successfully diagnosed the issue, guided me to Home Depot, and made the repair over the phone. While at Home Depot, I was uncertain on the exact part, but settled on something that looked like it would work, even though it didn't match up exactly. After describing the differences to my dad, he agreed. And it worked like a charm.

Fast forward to today...

Jude and I had lunch with a friend before getting James from school. As we were leaving, we stopped in the parking lot before departing. While talking, Jude reached in my purse and grabbed an old receipt and dropped it on the ground. My friend picked it up and handed it to me. I noticed the total was $2.44! When I got back to the car, I took another look at the receipt and it was the Home Depot receipt from last night! If I had noticed that last night, I would have had even more confirmation that I was buying the correct part! And now I know I had TWO of the very best plumbers in the WORLD and in HEAVEN helping me last night! And THAT, I truly believe and am grateful for. Thank you Dad and PawPaw!