Hot, June Night

"You give in to yourself too much," my mom told me when I was young. I often complained about felling sick when I was in Jr. High, especially when I didn't want to face whatever was happening at school. Mom's words have stuck with me these 45 years since she first said them and they serve as a stark reminder on occasion.

Like Saturday night...

...when I woke up a little before 1 a.m. and felt hot. I got up and checked the thermostat in the hallway outside our bedroom door. It said 81 degrees. It was set for 75. And the air conditioner was blowing like nobody's business. Warm air!

Living in the desert can be beautiful and comfortable. Many people who move here from "cold country" say they like it here because they find sunshine easier to shovel than snow. I never live in panic about our heater breaking down in the winter. In fact, we hardly use it.

The summer is another matter. A house that's a comfortable, dry mid-seventies can go to the mid-nineties in a few afternoon hours. I can tell you, it's miserable. And when you call your A/C repairman, you can have to wait a looooong time before he can get to you...

...because he's fixing your neighbor's unit. Or, like yesterday. Because it's Sunday!

I was hot as I prepared to leave for our first church service. I was feeling a panic come on. I wanted the thing fixed. Now! Cathy, ever practical, questioned how much more it would cost us to fix it on Sunday when we could perhaps spend the night with friends and get our repair company over Monday. Internally, I felt the sting: "You're giving in to yourself." I prayed, decided I would rather God take charge of this timetable and left for worship.

A couple attend our first service and she just happens to work for our A/C company. Cathy and I agreed that I would ask her how much their Sunday rate was. They weren't there yesterday!

I called Cathy, who was still at home. She said she would take the next step and find out much it would actually cost to have someone out on Sunday. Amazingly, it wasn't that much!

The house was cool again by the time we returned from church services.

I shouldn't have panicked.