And this is how the story unfolded?
I had a sump pump problem and I asked for help on Facebook. My friend Todd Taylor of Taylor Mechanical helped me with the problem. He runs a heating and cooling business but he continues to get sucked into my many plumbing issues as he is simply a decent guy.
that gentle nudge
A Facebook friend who I did not know asked if I could refer my plumber as she was in desperate need. There came that gentle nudge that said I needed to help this woman. Her name is Linda Gallo. She is a fellow Southsider who is my vintage and I learned she is disabled and trying to live on $800 per month. Linda lives alone in a mobile home park. She has had multiple strokes, is nearly deaf without her hearing aids, and has an array of other health concerns. After her bills are paid, she is left with about $40 each month to cover all her needs. She would be 104 before she could save enough to pay a plumber.
six months without a shower
For over six months every time she flushed a toilet, took a shower, ran the washer, it pumped raw sewage into her other bathroom. And for six months she had multiple ?friends? and plumbers come to fix the problem only to take her money and leave her without a solution. She has showered at a neighbor's house for the last six months and takes her laundry out.
the kindness of strangers
I was not in a position to fully cover the plumbing bill, so I asked others if they might join with me to help. I was overwhelmed with the generosity from my friends. From people who are barely making ends meet, they gave. And then the Garcia Family said they would like to help. They stuffed a roll of 20?s into my hand. This is a family who is adopting four foster children as they approach retirement! How could such kind hearts with the expense of four kids be so generous? ?They thought it was a beautiful lesson in love and giving which they wanted to instill in these young children.
the search for a kind-hearted plumber
And so the search for a plumber with a kind heart willing to accept the funds we had raised began. Most plumbers would not service mobile homes. Even the mobile home park was reluctant to help. After weeks of no call/no show, they finally arrive only to say they did not feel like crawling under the trainer and have raw sewage dump on his head if he had to cut the pipe. He said I really needed to call Gurney J. Bush, Inc. Really? The park?s plumber could not or would not help this woman and be PAID for the service.
sewer angels
So I called Gurney J. Bush, Inc. A young lady named Jacquetta answered the call. I told her I needed service but I had a long story I needed to tell first. When I gave her the address of the trailer park, she said she knew it well as she used to live there years ago. She listened to my story and then said ?hold on.? The phone was then answered by Pam. Pam listened to my story and she offered to call the park manager and got the same runaround. Pam took matters into her own hands and?said, ?the owner's son is just down the street from Linda. I am going to send him to figure out what is really going on. (Turns out Pam and Jacquetta are mother and daughter. Also pictured is Dee who is the company historian.)
tears of joy
No sooner than I texted Linda, Tom Means of Gurney J. Bush, Inc. arrived. He worked for nearly 3 hours. Linda stewed and fretted and when Tom came out of the bathroom covered in muck, Linda was crying.Tom said ?Linda, what is wrong?? Linda sobbed ?you are going to tell me you could not fix the problem.? Tom got a big smile on his face and told her he had indeed found the problem and cleared the clog. This caused Linda to burst out in sobs. Poor Tom, no matter what news he was going to deliver, Linda was going to cry.
memories of her son
Tom is a young, good looking guy and he reminded Linda of her son Josh who died six years ago. She said ?Tom you remind me so much of my son. I miss him so very much. Could I ask you for a favor, could I have a hug.? She said Tom gave her a big bear hug and Linda cried some more. (A picture of Linda after she took a nice long shower in her own bathroom!)
I will take half of what you have
Tom called me and told me the results of his service call. I asked how much this bill came to. After all he worked for three hours, he had to use the special sewer camera, he had to use the power auger snake, he got really dirty and he had to remove a grease clog the size of Texas. In total the bill was over $500. Then he did the unthinkable. He said I know you have $200 left for this call but what I feel I need to do is to only take $100. I would like to see the other $100 go to Linda to help offset the costs of those who took her money but did not help her. Did I hear this right? He wants to take only half of what I could give him so that Linda could be further blessed. And then I started to cry.
I was in Castleton with Sydney Nicholas working on a website for this zany idea to create a networking group to connect people to home building/home maintenance experts. The website would just have to wait as I had a bill to settle. I jumped in my car and told Tom I would be at his office in 30 minutes to pay him and to take pictures and interview him. I am making Gurney J. Bush, Inc. our?first Major Sponsor of Building Blessing & Beyond. Our vision for this networking community also includes a community section where we tell the world about the seldom heard acts of kindness and good will that still happen in this crazy messed up world.
go ahead as I am with you
I have encountered as many obstacles in getting this networking community off the ground as I encountered in finding a plumber for Linda and the operating budget is clearly about the same for both projects! All I am sure of is that I prayed today for God?s intervention and provision. Only God could orchestrate a story like this. I am just the story teller. And even though I don?t have anything in place to confidently announce the start of Building Blessing & Beyond, it is clear to me that God says ?Go ahead as I am with you.? So today, we launch. I submit to you on a barely functioning website where links do not yet link and provider directories are not yet built, our first community story and our first major sponsor Gurney J. Bush, Inc.
Building Blessing & Beyond
? ? ? What are we Building and Who are we Blessing?
We are a networking group and information provider connecting the Central Indiana community with an emphasis on building, buying. living in and maintaining a home.
All are welcome to join our community resource listing or become a sponsor as a way to promote your goods and services. Our audience is the Facebook community and beyond!
We will regularly post interesting and useful information on our Facebook Page to feature all aspects of the home experience. Interested in building from the ground up? Can you own a home for less than renting an apartment? How to select a Realtor? How do you know when you need a plumber or when you need a drain cleaning expert? We feature home maintenance tips and much, much more.
We provide an inside look at the?People Professions?and?Passions?of our community. Let us share your story.
We believe in blessing our community and will showcase positive community involvement and will hopefully become a not-for-profit to provide a financial benefit to others in the community.
Your Hosts:
Polly Riddell (writing as G. Polly Jordan) and?Sherri Patterson
Join the Initiative
Contact us:
Connect@BuildingBlessingBeyond.fyi
Facebook: Building Blessing & Beyond
Polly Riddell writing under the pen name of G. Polly Jordan is The Story Teller. She is a free-lance journalist writing business spotlight promotional stories and positively in love with telling the God stories.