mercy

Trees used to be some of my best friends. They stood tall, shading me from the sun, fanning me with a cooling breeze. Their only danger was the lightning rod potential!

That was until Ivan the Terrible and Dennis the Menace struck our area. Dennis was a bad hit for us, because a huge branch from one of our neighbor's trees flew over and nearly pierced our family room roof. We still have leaks. Fortunately, we did not file an insurance claim because no one would write us if we had made two claims in two years. TT has tried to fix the leak about twenty times. . . I don't know what is going wrong up there, but I will say I am so OVER having buckets out for every rain storm.

Judging by the care of their home and yard, our neighbors have the appearance of being quite financially undernourished. They have about six trees that in a bad storm would be a threat to both their home and ours. It is all about which way the wind is blowing. Though they cannot pay, they have given us permission to have the trees and tree tops removed.

I got a quote a few months after Dennis of over $4000 to remove the four tree tops in the back. Oi. Since then, their two humongous pine trees that are right next to our carport have died. They would be like Rice Crispies in a storm, snap-crackle-pop.

Dot was over last Monday. I got to telling her all my woes about how I hate our back yard. As we walked out there, I got this urging to take care of those trees NOW!

I started polling my clients, "Do you know any reasonable tree services?"

You guessed it. Today a man came by who was a referral from a client, looked at the whole job, said he would take the four trees in the back, the two dead pines and a very high limb out of the tree in front of our house for $1,375. OMG! Now, this is still a stretch for me, but it is doable. I won't have to take out a loan to do it. I am SO grateful.

I would love to have a neighbor like me. One that would pay for preventing potential damage to my home. But I have to say, that with such an overly reasonable price like that, I feel like God Himself is helping me to love my neighbor as myself.

As soon as the man left, I said to TT, "I am writing my tithe check NOW!!!!!" Give and it shall be given to you, pressed down, running over, shall men give unto you. He is so faithful and caring.