Monday, September 17, 2012

It's so obvious... but not always easy

After - I wasn't clever enough to take a 'before' picture

I had a mountain of firewood on my driveway that was too long to fit into the firebox of my cookstove. Not only had I paid for something I couldn't use, but it was blocking access to part of my yard, meaning I had to schlep stuff the long way around the house. That gets to be a nuisance when you're moving 500 pounds of animal feed, let me tell you. I didn't particularly want to have to hire someone to cut it down for me... I mean, I already paid for the wood once, right? It's not like I have spare cash floating around, alas. Plus, I don't have a chain saw, and I don't plan to obtain one. It's a safety thing for me. So - what to do?

Well, raise your hand if you've never heard that it's more blessed to give than to receive. I hope we all know that. However, if we're too stubborn/proud/short-sighted to ask for help, then how will the givers be able to experience that blessing? I had to get over this many years ago as an effectively single parent with four small children. Good thing - because it wasn't long before I was an actual single parent with four small children. I could not have managed daily life, much less graduate school, without the help of many, many friends. And though I often felt awkward about asking, to a one, everyone I asked for help said yes, and seemed glad to have been asked.


The cut-off ends all piled up
I asked for help with my woodpile. I put up a post on Facebook asking for some time from someone with a chain saw, and yesterday, someone came and cut it all to size for me. And, though I made a (really nice!) omelet for lunch afterward, he wouldn't accept anything else by way of thanks. Not even a jar of jam or a quart of applesauce. Wow.
Woodpile - many rows deep



The new wood is a different color

Now, this man is not anyone I had known before Facebook - he's a FB friend of the brother of a schoolmate of mine. And yet when I asked for help, he said yes. Think about what kind of answer YOU might receive if you ask for help!

The natural corollary to this is, of course, to be someone who says yes when others need help. After all, it's more blessed to give than to receive!

2 comments:

  1. oh what a LOVELY thing to happen and I am so impressed with gorgeous souls out there. It certainly renews faith in the human spirit. I am really enjoying your blog! Please keep going! That wood looks fantastic by the way. What a gentleman.

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