A Good Deed That Saved Our Home

I am going to start my story by saying I am not a good writer! It has been many years since I have sat down and wrote. I saw this online and thought why not? I wanted to tell my story because well it just happened!

To some it might be a little confusing so, I am going to go back a little. Two years ago we bought a beautiful Victorian Home. We found it by chance we came to look at it in the evening with a blanket of snow on the ground. My kids were instantly in love with this home when ran up on the back deck and one of my twin girls yelled it has a Hot Tub! It did have a gazebo built around a hot tub and we talked at that time about putting a pool next to the hot tub so we could jump off the deck into the water. The House was in good shape it did need a little work and we are still trying to do that work. After that day we were in Love, I sat and stared at the pictures online. And finally the seller answered me and gave me the best news of all. He was going to sell the house to us on a lease to own basis so we could move there right away. It was a dream the first year it felt like we had been here forever it was home. We put a pool up right where we talked about and jumped off the deck all summer long what an amazing first year. Then came the year no one wants to talk about 2020 at first everything was fine but then on January the 28th one year ago today. My mom was rushed to the ER where she had to have surgery on an obstructed bowl she had just been in the Hospital with sepsis it was so scary on that same day, I got a call from my tax person saying that my tax return had been rejected and someone had stolen my identity! It was a horrible day. I pray today as I am typing this that it will not be any kind of repeat. The Identity being stolen caused me not to get a tax refund or any stimulus. And it is literally still being worked out. Because my mom had this surgery and could not care for herself at home she is 78 and really stubborn. I had to quit my job to take care of her. I love my mom so Much but this put a true Burdon on my family. My husband was the only one working now. Then the coronavirus started creeping in and everything started shutting down. It was almost peaceful during the shut down in a really odd way just playing outside with the kids not running everyday life just slowed way down. The summer for us went on just like the previous one days spent in the pool just enjoying time together. But then as fall started to quickly come upon us right after my kids birthdays in September it got cold. Which for me is sad, but then is when things started to fall apart for us. My husband got hurt at work. He is a semi-Truck Mechanic and a semi bed fell on his arm crushing it and causing nerve damage. I did not know what we would do his employers told him not to worry he would take care of it so he filed workman's comp but then the employer is fighting the claim. My Husband can not work. I take care of my mother daily and work some on the side but not enough to get us by, not really. This brings us to November Just two days before Thanksgiving the owner of the house we are buying calls and tells me he has put our home up for sale. I am crushed my head is spinning my heart is sinking. I stumble through my words trying not to cry. How could he do this? We have a contract! But he says " I am going to loose the house, because the roof needs repaired the insurance is going to cancel and they will recall the loan at the bank, so if I loose it you will loose it anyway". Of course my mind starts to go crazy at this point trying to think of anything we could do. He said if you can buy it in two weeks, Otherwise I have to sell it. My husband is off work, I am barely working of course that will not work. I said " Can we fix the roof "? He did not say anything for a minute but then said" Yes if you can fix the roof that would keep the insurance from getting cancelled and satisfy the bank". So he said yes if you can get someone to do it by December the 30th we will give you another two year contract. So I was relieved but still very worried. The reason I was worried is because our home is huge the pitch of the roof is 12/14 we have had numerous roofing companies tell us "no" they would not fix it because it was to steep!

Well My husband got to work on the house! We bought shingles and although hurt he did his best but we ran out of shingles quickly we sold some things and got more shingles still not enough with Christmas Just a few weeks away, and the deadline for the Roof approaching. I was more than sick with worry then the Coronavirus made an appearance in our home. My son came to me and said " Mom I can not taste or smell anything"? I am pretty sure at this point my blood ran cold. I knew he had it. I took him to get tested and he was positive, we all had it, I of course had it the worst it was very strange, it was like a cold but at night I had a hard time breathing and my heart rapidly. It truly was more scary just knowing it was the coronavirus, but the last day that I was really sick I could not even remember it. I could not breath I almost went to the ER but I fell asleep. I woke up feeling fine it was very strange. We still do not have our taste and smell. It was an awful time when I had so much to get done! But right before Christmas we were out of quarantine and doing better Christmas was nice and for one day I could forget all the worry.

But then reality set in the next day when the owner was texting me. I told him we would not be able to get the roof done by the 30th and he had a monster fit! He Told me that he was going to evict us. I told him if he would just give us a few more days! I cried all day that day. So I went to Facebook that day begging for helpers to shingle the roof! I never do things like that, but I did. We love it here I just needed a few more days to figure it out. The owner finally calmed down and told us he could give us until January 4th before he had to send pictures of the roof to the Insurance. Then we got a loan for 800 we were able to get 25 bundles of shingles we had helpers coming that we had met on Facebook and work was underway. I even I got up on parts of the roof and learned how to Shingle really quick! This is where the blessing happens our neighbor, this 90 year old man, John, who had become friends with my husband, after my husband worked on some of his cars would sit and have coffee. He asked about our roof and my husband told him what kind of issue we were having this man had lived here his whole life, in this little rural town, he told my husband he would help us to finish the roof. Right about the same time I had a message on Facebook with a number to a roofing company the man said" These guys can do your roof in one day". I replied thank you but this roof is huge and sent him a picture. he said "nope one day give them a call". I called the man and he said yes we can do it in one day we will be there Sunday. Now Sunday was about three days away, the last day before the deadline. So I tell the roofing company everything and he said yes I will bring my family and we will have it done that day. I was still a little hesitant but we continued to work on the roof. The Day came for them to come and fix the roof it was raining that morning so they showed up about 10 a.m. the man walked around the house and said you need 60 more bundles of shingles. I about past out at this point that was about $1500! About that Time our Neighbor pulled in and my husband and I walked over to him he said I told you I would help you with whatever you needed for your roof and he handed me 1500 dollars and said when these guys get done just let me know how much more you need. Oh my ! I was dumb founded! Thank God! I said Thank You John you just don't know what this means to us! he said "I don't worry about money but I want you all to keep your house!" So I ran to get the shingles loaded up and the roofing company went to work! I still was so worried they would not get done there was 8 of them they had 5 nail guns and they went to work! I walked outside about two hours later to see the roof and it was done! They had finished the roof and went through 60 bundles of shingles in two hours! I can not even express in words the relief I felt. (I literally slept for a week after that because I had been so stressed I could not sleep!) After they were finishing up with the roof. John pulled back in the driveway and said how much do they need. We talked to the owner and he said $2500! We told John and he pulled out an envelope and handed us $2500 and we paid the roofers. I said you know John there is not anyone else in the world that would have helped us like that and he laughed and said "There is no one else like me". He was so right! I sent pictures of the new black roof and now we get to have our home and more time to get it financed after my husband can return to work. I Know I am not a good writher my grammar and everything is terrible but John saved our home, someday I will pay him back or pay it forward. I just thought what better thing to write about than the most amazing act of kindness I have ever received. I know that God sent him to help us he is an angle on Earth.