Power of prayer, AC man

Emily Jones

I’m wondering if this was my day for Olivia to pray for me.
Each year, my high school friend, Olivia Portera, places all her birthday and Christmas cards in a big bowl. She draws one out each day and spends 24 hours praying for the sender. You can bet she is at the top of our greeting card list.
Good things always happen on the day Olivia prays for us.
Norma Atkins, another high school friend from West Point, told me she had her day earlier this week and her grandson’s baseball team (The Mississippi Longhorns) won the state championship for the Triple S division (12 year olds)!
I’m convinced Olivia had something to do with it.
Anyhow, I arrived home late last night, tired and cranky, after being on the road for a total of 20 hours in the last four days, attending funerals and house christenings. Imagine my dismay in discovering that my air conditioner had bitten the dust – again! The thermometer read 91 degrees and I took a bath without even running the hot water..
Apparently I bought a lemon of a cooling and heating system, and must devote a whole line item on my household budget to feed its seasonal health problems. Practically every part has been replaced twice and it’s only 12 years old.
It was too late to call for help, so I spent one lousy night at the end of June in a sweaty coma, tossing and turning in a bed that felt like hot ashes. The ceiling fan did little more than circulate the dust particles. Even Rebel and Lucky Dawg were sweating and peered at me with big sad moon eyes that said ”Can’t you do something?”
This morning, I called my trusty AC repairman, Don Rhodes. We have become fast friends and sometimes I even fix lunch for him when he’s making his regular calls to tweak something on the unit.
He’s a magician. He always gets me up and running in a matter of minutes at a minimum cost. This time he wouldn’t even let me pay him for his time. I think I’ve become the “pity person” on his client list.
Now I’m cool as a cucumber and still wondering...was this my day for Olivia to pray?

Emily Jones is a retired journalist who edits a website for bouncing baby boomers. She welcomes comments at http://www.deludeddiva.com [2].