The Blessing of the Busted Pipe

My greenhouse is still in the box. Well, it's in multiple boxes. The single-digit temperatures and the generous downpour of rain played havoc with my plan, and I have not been happy about it. Every day, I have grumbled silently that the man has not come to dig the foundation and haul the gravel. I have stewed unhappily that it is hard to walk in my house for all the plants inside. This waiting for the greenhouse has not been easy!

As I waited, a wonderful blessing was silently unfolding.  The frozen pipes have all thawed, and today we found that one had burst from the frozen water. This is particularly wonderful because it is the hydrant in my garden. It has always been in the MOST inconvenient place, but I never had a reason to justify the expense and effort of moving it. Today, however, I have a serious flood occurring right where my greenhouse was going to be located. There is enough water rushing out of the broken pipe that knee-high garden boots are required for wading, and if not staunched soon, I will be building an ark. 

You may not remember this, but my planned greenhouse location was not even on my list of preferred sites. It was chosen (after a bit of unrequited whining) because of its proximity to the hydrant. The pipe that burst will need to be repaired and the prospective repairman suggested now would be a good time to change it. Indeed it would. I will still have a hydrant in my garden, but we will also run a water line to the spot that was FIRST on my list of preferred sites. 

The blessing of the broken water pipe! In any other situation, a broken pipe would not likely be welcome. Today, however, it is the best thing that could've happened, and I am giving thanks for the blessing that came disguised as adversity.