As a shopaholic, I have bought my fair share of products both awesome and hideous. Cheap and expensive. Gorgeous and meh.
And oh, the rationalizations…
“We’ll use this 400 million times.”
“It practically pays for itself.”
“How innovative!”
“That sale won’t last long.”
“No doubt this will sell out again.”
My bad habits are nothing if not predictable.
So when Jake and I started seriously discussing putting in a swimming pool at the house back in 2016, only a year after moving back to Augusta, I made my pros & cons list.
Pro
- I will suddenly have time to take up reading…in a serene outdoor setting
- our kids will spend time outside and away from electronics
- I will entertain like a pro, throwing fabulous parties and playdates
- our kids will become Olympic swimmers, each getting a full ride scholarship to the college of their choice
- I will sport a perfect glowing tan…year round…with zero skin cancer risk
- summer in Augusta, Georgia will be not only manageable, but glorious
Con
- all our money will fly away, never to return
- I will enter indentured servitude to our pool
The answer was clear.
We built the pool.
And indeed, we dropped a ton of cash. Through the help of some friends we managed to find an amazing builder who was infinitely cheaper than other local options, however. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that contrary to popular belief, pool ownership can be awesome. (And maintaining a pool can involve very little effort, even when you decide to be your own pool boy…but that one is for another post.)
I am still as pale as ever. My idea of hosting involves last minute texts and a run to Little Caesar’s. I rarely make time to read by the pool, although I have been known to occasionally live it up during naptime on the rare therapy-free afternoon. Our kids are video game professionals, despite swimming often.
And no doubt the Olympics are waiting for us. It’s still early.
Oh, ye of little faith.
But this. THIS is what never made my list.
When we started pool construction on July 1, 2016, we knew that Zella loved water. We knew she would benefit from having more consistent access to a pool year round. Zella had already started aqua therapy with her physical therapist the year before, and she was doing well.
But Zella was so far from actually swimming…or floating…or being able to do anything to try to save herself. In fact, we had our builder design the pool specifically so that we could put in an automatic safety cover. We knew that for as long as we lived in this house, Zella would be at risk with an open pool in the backyard.
Fast forward to less than three years later, and she is doing the very thing we just knew she would never do.
Swim.
Independently.
Without help.
By herself.
God knew. In His infinite wisdom, He knew what Zella was capable of doing, what she was born to do. And He used what appeared to be yet another ridiculous purchase, made despite all reasonable financial logic, to show us the gift He gave her. The gift He gave us.
As he was walking along, he saw a man blind from birth.
“Master,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sins or those of his parents?”
“Neither,” Jesus answered. “But to demonstrate the power of God.”
John 9:1-3 (TLB)
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