Hashem unfolded the day here in Dallas with temperate weather, literally a breath of fresh air. But the forecast looked threatening, especially two days after a massive storm that had caused ongoing power outages and serious property damage.
I was one of the fortunate ones to have only minor damage that was easily repaired. So I was hoping to go out and do some shopping, both for myself and for others who were affected much more by the storm. But I had to wait for a few maintenance men to take care of those repairs first. And then, by the time the last one left, it started to rain heavily again.
I decided to wait it out and see if it was safe to go out; meantime, I went upstairs and got onto my computer. But the rain got heavier and heavier, and I kept hearing reports of flooded roads. So, reluctantly, I opted not to go out. Instead, I stayed upstairs.
A little before noon, I heard my doorbell ring. I opened the view from my front door camera to see who was there; a woman was there in the rain, looking agitated, but by the time I got downstairs to open the door, she was gone. I thought, maybe she was selling something; but why would she be out there in that rain? So, I went back upstairs.
A few minutes later, I saw on my door camera that there was a fire truck outside, parked in front of the house of my non-Jewish next door neighbor, Tim.* He had been in trouble with the law before, and I wondered, what now? I heard some indistinct voices, and then the truck drove away.
Several hours later, I found out from a Jewish friend, Rachel,* three houses away from me, what had happened.
My other next door neighbor, Lisa,* employs a housekeeper. The housekeeper had accidentally backed her truck into the gas line of the next house, two doors away from me, where the Smiths* live. Rachel, who lives next to the Smiths, told me that the woman at my door must have been the housekeeper, trying to warn everyone about the escaping gas. Although Rachel said there was a terrible smell and a loud hissing from the gas leak, and she and her family had had to leave their house for a while in the pelting rain, I had not smelled or heard anything at all.
Fortunately, the problem was quickly taken care of; if not, there could have been a massive explosion! (And fortunately, it wasn’t my gas line that got hit!)
Hashem was saving my property and maybe even my life while I was totally unaware of this miracle.
How many times does Hashem save us without our even knowing? Most of the time our bodies function, our appliances work, things go smoothly, and we aren’t even aware. We could be sleeping while Hashem is performing wonders for us. The pouring rain finally stopped, but I poured out my thanks to Hashem for this great miracle.
*Names changed for privacy.
