Ideas have consequences. Even if they are bright ideas…
Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV) says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”
In February 2022, my husband and I agreed to meet with a local contractor and likely start the process of renovating our enclosed sun porch and adding a screened porch. My goals were simple. More space for our growing family to congregate closer to our kitchen where everyone could be near food. My husband’s goals were perhaps more vivid and refined. He pictured a window wall that would provide a large unobstructed view of our wooded backyard and our truly beautiful tall trees going down into a deep ravine. This would be the next best thing to being able to see breathtaking sunsets (which we will never be able to see from our house).
Construction started with major setbacks. Number One – the specialty windows for the window wall, promised in late summer 2022, were discovered to instead be deliverable in February 2023! Mind you, I am leaving out many many excruciating details. But here’s Number Two. When renovations began in September 2022, we concurrently experienced an upstairs hot water heater leak that caused extensive water damage to central parts of the house. This involved another whole set of contractors to rip out soiled cabinets, carpet, ceiling and flooring, and begin the process of drying out and repairing the damaged house.
In retrospect, we would have been wise to temporarily move out of the house for parts of this laborious water damage repair. But, we didn’t. There were other hiccups like Covid which my husband and I both contracted in October. Between the illnesses, water damage contractors being called to Florida to assist with the latest hurricane damage, subcontractors that were not on anybody’s schedule but their own, and an enormous price tag… What will I remember?
Mercies embedded in pain, that’s what.
I will remember that we still had family and friends over for gatherings, even before the building was completed. The temporary plywood wall (pictured) that separated our kitchen from the construction area became a makeshift bulletin board, displaying punchlist and other construction items as well as the artwork of some of our grandchildren. I will remember that some of our grandchildren even painted designs on the walls (not pictured) of the unfinished sun porch. These “fun things” happened at the great encouragement of our lead creative, their Pop Pop! A mercy.
I will remember the patience (no, really!) and detailed oversight of the construction by my husband. I will remember him doing more than half of the actual required work – priming siding and painting various things, sanding drywall, installing hardware, doing 99% of the landscaping, directing traffic, ridding the driveway of nails, and much much more. Mostly preventing disaster. I will remember him holding the standard of construction excellence very very high. I will remember his exhaustion, isolation, and virtual imprisonment, but also his determination, strength, and suffering no fools. Double mercies.
I will remember that Pop Pop’s finished “happy place” was mostly worth waiting for (he might argue the point). Despite giving up a year of his life, he genuinely loves the screened porch! A mercy. The screened porch is where I’ll definitely find him unless he is outdoors doing yard maintenance or critter elimination.
And my happy place is the window-walled sun porch, especially when we can share it with family. I will remember that we survived a too-long journey to enjoy these new spaces and that the headaches and frustrations and disappointments of the construction plus water damage saga will fade with each moment enjoyed in these new areas. A mercy.
All construction was mostly accomplished by Easter 2023, including furnishings. We had all of our local kids and grandkids over for Easter dinner as well as my parents. A miracle really. And certainly a mercy!
I will remember God’s mercies.
psalm37fretnot 