Last week, you learned about the crazy night I had during a recent storm and how God ultimately used a very circuitous route to identify a completely unrelated issue at my house. If you missed it, you can check it out here.
This is Part 2 of that evening but with a totally different focus. My summary of all that occurred on my end that evening is, “All’s well that ends well.”
But there was a subplot going on behind the scenes that is the subject of this week’s post. And then we’ll move on from this storm!
I had been texting with a friend, we’ll call her Susie, throughout all the twists and turns of that evening. Susie now lives in another state, but we have remained close friends for years.
She was up-to-speed on all the chirping challenges, the torrential rains, and the eventual restoration of power to the neighborhood. Most notably she knew about the ominous GAS message on my carbon monoxide detector after the power came back on.
As soon as I saw that, I sent a message to Susie that said, “Now it’s indicating gas!!!”
But because I’m a math nerd and not a science nerd, I immediately had visions of my house exploding! So, I grabbed the girls, put them in their kennel in the back of my SUV and headed out of the neighborhood to call 911.
Based on “all’s well that ends well,” you know that there was no gas and nothing exploded. I did remember later that the danger is in the breathing of the carbon monoxide, not in potential explosions. In calmer moments, I know that. In a panic, not so much!
It wasn’t until after I got the all-clear and the men in the big firetruck left that I saw messages on my phone that I had completely missed. It’s a mystery as to why I never heard or felt anything from my phone. (Although I did learn later that certain iPhone versions block incoming calls when you’re on a 911 call.)
However, here are the verbatim messages from Susie that were all waiting for me once I looked at my screen, lit up like a Christmas tree.
- “What???”
- “Are you calling the gas company?”
- “I think they have to come out for free.”
- “We had to have them come at least twice.”
- “Keep me posted! Now I’m extra concerned!”
- “You and the girls may have to leave.”
- “Any update?”
- “What’s the gas situation?”
- “In two minutes I’m going to call the police for a wellness check.”
- “It’s 8:13 pm.”
By God’s grace, I saw these messages at exactly 8:15 and was able to send her a quick text letting her know I was OK and would get back to her soon. (I was dealing with the plumbing leak at this point.)
Can you imagine all that was going through her head following attempt after attempt after attempt to reach me? Oh, my goodness! Poor Susie!
When I finally was able to call her, she was understandably still shaken up by all she went through as I unintentionally ignored every attempt she made to find out what the heck was going on at my house. She, too, had a few visions of explosions!
Of course, I apologized profusely to her and validated how frightened she must have felt in those moments. I fear the blood pressure readings for both of us would have been pushing the limits that evening!
But we did eventually calm down and could mostly put the panic of the night behind us.
As I pondered the stormy night events, I couldn’t help but feel incredibly grateful to have a friend like Susie. Someone who would go to the extent of calling in emergency personnel to make sure my house hadn’t blown up, and that I was OK.
I have no doubt that, had she not reached the police, she might have jumped in her vehicle and headed down I-35 to check on me herself.
Those are the kinds of friendships that I never want to take for granted. The true colors of our friends shine brightly when tested the way ours was that night. And Susie passed with flying colors.
One of God’s greatest gifts is that of friendship. And for me, it’s extra essential because I have so few family members in my life. I truly cherish my friends, and God has blessed me far beyond what I deserve.
What about each of us? Am I this kind of friend? Would I go the extra mile to confirm that someone is safe? I’d like to think so. I know I want to be.
Sometimes it takes a story like this to remind us of just how deep and satisfying these friendships can be. I’ll strive to never take that for granted.
Let each of you look not only to his own interests,
but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:4
Leave a Reply