The Simple Solution

Today we had a major storm.  We had a severe weather watch.  (And we did watch it through the open front door- it was pretty awe-inspiring...)  Torrential rain came in waves.  Large hail pounded the ground.  The wind whipped the trees around.  Our entire street was flooded.  Cars drove by and you could only see half the wheels.

Our back yard is on a slope.  The way the tiles have been placed in our patio, we have a wonderful water gathering area right outside the basement door.  As a result, every time we have these huge rainstorms, we have to watch for flooding in the basement by the door.  Until now, we've never had a flood.

Today we did, though.  The water was leaking in through the door.  We discovered that while it was still only bad enough to get the tile and carpet wet.  But we knew we'd have a big problem (and brand new carpet ruined) if we didn't fix it quickly.  Scott began trying to find a water pump from neighbors and friends.  Not knowing what else to do, I grabbed a bucket.

I had suggested the bucket to Scott, but the rain was coming down hard enough and the puddle growing fast enough, the bucket method wasn't going to solve the problem.  But since he was needing to scrounge around and find a pump to really solve anything, I decided to use the bucket as a temporary effort in saving the basement.

It was very hard work.  Even now my whole body is shaking from exhaustion.  But you know what, it actually worked.  I was able to get enough in the bucket that it actually made a small dent in the potential flood.  Each bucketful was a little more than the rain coming in.  Then the rain slowed down.

I was wondering if my efforts were doing any good, as I was exhausted and hoping Scott could find a pump quickly.  Then I noticed that right by the door, there was a tiny patch of cement that was actually starting to dry off.  That's when I knew that the simple solution of the bucket was going to work.  That gave me motivation and I increased my efforts.  I was actually able to get ALL of the water out of that area.  It was amazing.  Had the rain not stopped completely I wouldn't have been that successful- but I still would have stopped the basement from flooding.

Yes, the water pump would have been easier.  (And yes, Scott did find one- but not until the rain had stopped and most of the area in front of the door was dry.)  It would have been faster, too.   But the bucket solution worked just fine.  It was a good reminder for me that we don't always have to have the fancy technology solutions.  Sometimes the answer is just the simple solution of hard work.


Cute side note to this story:  When our family was watching the rain from the front door (before the flooding scare) Anna started telling us about the wise man and the foolish man.  You know, the rains came down and the floods came up?  I asked her who built his house where and she told me the wise man built his house both places.  Still pretty good for a three year old. :)  She thought it was pretty awesome to finally SEE what that song would look like... :D  Thank you all primary leaders everywhere.