At Thanksgiving, I often remember a time I didn’t have a working furnace.  In the fall of 2010, I had 18 inches of sewer water in my basement after a heavy rain storm.  I was told that I should have the furnace checked.  A contractor came by and told me there was a crack in the heat exchange (which risks getting carbon monoxide in the house).  This was the result of an old furnace (not the flooding), but it came at a time when I was dealing with other challenges.  Those were tough days.

The flooding was late September. By the time I worked through what needed to happen, got quotes, picked a contractor and scheduled them to install the furnace – I was looking at a cold Thanksgiving.  The contractor started the Monday before, but didn’t think they would finish until the Monday after.  I was glad heat was coming.  I was working through being patient for the rest of the week, when I found out they would be able to give me heat the day before Thanksgiving.  Hallelujah!  The contractor turned the heat on and turned off the space heaters that I had been running 24 hours a day for the previous few days.  I was blessed by the action. 

God blessed me with friends who were concerned.  Sometimes even the guys acted like mother hens (I know – a horrible illustration for men, but I treasure the memories). 🙂

One other blessing at the time of the flooding that I want to share – I had plans that fall to buy an electric blanket.  Not knowing how much the flooding repairs would cost, I dropped the idea even before I knew I had to replace the furnace.A friend of mine surprised me with the gift of a brand new electric blanket.  That was an extra blessing in the days I was without a working furnace and provides a long term hug.

I am thankful for a working furnace in my house, a good heater in my car, and an electric blanket to keep me warm during the cold months.