Love Notes from the Universe

Little blessings abound. I like to call these "love notes from the universe." Finding a 5 dollar bill when picking up trash at the local park with my son (I'm all for being a crazy teenager when one is at that age, but really guys, do you have to throw your gatorade bottles, pints of vodka and condom wrappers out your car window into the parking lot? Yuck!) A donation from family so I can buy good new cloth diapers for the baby, now that her brother's 3 year-old ones are all worn out. And now, an unsolicited offer of a free 3-year old water heater to replace ours which just died.

The water has seemed just a little less hot the last month or so, but I didn't really think about it -- it was the coldest month of the year, after all! Then yesterday there was almost no hot water when I tried to shower (emphasis on tried. I didn't last long in the cold.) I assumed it was because I had just washed a load of diapers on hot, and forgot to adjust the load size down from "large". But today, sure enough, no hot water again. None at all. No breakers are tripped. The heater is on but not working. So when I stopped at my husband's work to report on my findings, a coworker overheard us talking about heater shopping tonight and asked if we wanted his. Apparently its a great brand that he received from a company for a special trial offer: use for three years, review it, and then get another BRAND new one installed free at the end of that time. So he did the trial, and has had this great hot water heater sitting in his garage unused for the last 9 years. It's twelve years old, but was only used for three. All we have to do is clean the fittings, and my husband can easily hook it up! It is 12 gallons more than ours and a little taller, but will fit perfectly. And since ours was TWENTY TWO years old, I am sure it will still cost less to run.

Oh, the joy :) This is such a blessing, since we really don't have $500 lying around right now for a new heater. In thanks, I went and picked up more trash from the same park parking lot -- that make 6 bags now! And there's still more...