Tough Week

Life for me, off and on for the last week, (mostly on) has been a roller coast of emotions. I have either been really ticked off, or crying my eyes out. It hasn’t been fun for me. Thursday at work, Louie called me at noon to say hello and see how my day was, and all the poor man heard, was sobs. Oh, nothing THAT dramatic happened, or was wrong, but in my little head and heart, it felt like a hundred tons. I’m blaming it on THIS!

When he came home Thursday after work, he stopped to pick up supper for us, and he also brought me this.                                        

My Louie is such a sweetie. I know I have probably said it before, but I prayed for him when I was just 13 years old. At the time, I was babysitting for a lady and her husband who had two sweet kids. They lived down at the end of the street, and the lady was a beautician. Her shop was in her home, and I watched her kids while she worked. Her husband was just the most wonderful man I had ever met. He wasn’t like anyone I had ever met in my life. My dad and mom were divorced, and my dad never had a relationship again. In fact, by the time I was 13, and babysitting, he had already passed away.  My mom married someone who was NOT NICE at all, when I was 6. In fact, I was scared of him the entire time after they married until I moved out, which was about 12 years later.

When I babysat for this lady, I saw how she and her husband interacted with each other.He was so kind and loving towards her, and I was just in awe of how much he loved her. They were clearly friends, and he treated her with respect. He was so gentle and loving with his children, and they were indeed, a very happy family.  This man didn’t have any of the bad habits that were going on at my house, and I sat down one day and I prayed to God that He would send me someone, ‘just like Marvin’.  I wanted to live a life ‘just like theirs’.

Two years later, our family moved away from that town to a bigger one…the same one I still live. I did not want to move, but shortly after we did, the boy across the street started coming around. We dated for two months, and then things didn’t go so well. The good thing was, that this boy’s best friend was Louie, and when Louie found out I was not going with his friend, he asked if I would go out with him. The rest is history. On August 15, 1973, Louie and I started dating, and we never parted. God heard my prayer, and He sent Louie. Louie is everything I asked for. He is my best friend. He treats me like I am a queen.  He knows how to make me feel special, and I thank God for him each day.

Marvin and Kathy are STILL happily married.  Thank you M & K for making such a huge impact on my life and letting me see that there is better family settings out there than what I knew.                                  

So today, my Louie is taking me junkin’. We plan on having a wonderful day together, but right now, he is at work putting new upper intake manifold gaskets on our van, and cleaning out the exhaust ports. He said it wouldn’t take very long, and if I don’t get up off my behind and in the shower in the next few minutes, he might just be back home, then he might NOT be too ‘friendly’ if you know what I mean!                                                  Oops! I wasn’t fast enough! He was home before I got out of the shower. Here are the pictures he took of the exhaust ports. (And he was still very understanding that I wasn’t ready…and friendly too!)

The first pictures shows that in the center of the top part, there is a very small hole. That shows that the port is almost completely plugged. (you may have to enlarge picture to see what I am talking about.) See the opening that looks like it is rusty? Now see the center above that, where there is a very small opening in the center?                               Now look at the next picture. See how the opening is much larger?  On my van, there are 6 exhaust ports. They each need to be open to ‘take in’ spent exhaust gasses. They all need to be open and clean. When one plugs, it relies on the other 5. When more get plugged, the open ones have to do all the work. As they becomes more and more plugged, the engine doesn’t run as smoothly as it should.

                               I think Louie said there was only one that was ‘really’ open. Hopefully, we will see an improvement. Doing this job certainly can’t hurt, even if it wasn’t the problem! 

Be blessed!