I feel his hands - ice.
I feel his feet - ice.
We've always known that Noah has difficulties regulating temperatures in times of cold or heat. I suspected I had a problem but wasn't quite sure what. It was a much bigger problem that I originally suspected. Noah's body was the first clue, because he is so much more sensitive than the rest of the family that we had a heating problem. I thought it'd be a simple fix just turn up the thermostat higher, and he'd be as good as new in ten minutes. But the furnace wouldn't click over, it'd light over and over when I demanded it turn on, but the flame would go out each time without blowing any hot air through the house.
I waited a few hours in denial thinking it was working and I wasn't paying attention. Trying to layer Noah more until I could achieve the goal of making the house warmer. It wasn't until I walked into the laundry room and smelled a heat odor - something slightly electrical with a hint of something burnt. My gut said find someone to call immediately. Something is very wrong.
Found the first HVAC company I could find listed in my city - Cooper's Heating and Cooling, the internet gave them good reviews. Right before the end of work hours they were kind enough to send someone to my home on an emergency call. I was relieved. Even if I was imagining a problem they'd at least confirm for me what was really happening. They wanted to help, and didn't turn me away at the end of the day. A diagnostic revealed we had a big problem, fan motor out, heavy rust on heat exchanger with evidence of heat stress on a 20 year old furnace... and the verdict that no homeowner really wants to hear - especially while you're experiencing a snow storm with freezing temperatures...
You need a new furnace
I won't fluff the truth. I think my heart stopped for at least a second. I could feel it. That frog in your throat that prevents you from saying this can't be happening. Massive dollar signs flashed before my eyes... how can I even possibly stay afloat when all this keeps coming at me? I did my best to hide my overwhelming feelings from the technician who was very nice and showed me all the problems with a mirrored scope. I knew this was a big deal.
I also knew that this meant I needed to find some place warm for Noah almost immediately. He had been cold already for several hours, my mother the only place we could go and she's very sick so we couldn't risk taking Noah there. So hotel it was. We picked whatever was the closest to home.
A sales specialist went over our options with us, there were some neat features like a new quiet electric filter, an advanced Oxidation System with Guardian Air to eliminate several strains of bacteria from the air. Features we would have loved to been able to incorporate for Noah's health but we knew we just needed heat. Our life doesn't come with the opportunity to make luxury decisions. Although RGF Oxidation technology is amazing and I had no idea that something like that even existed, but we knew we just needed the basics - a working furnace above all else.
We signed loan contracts, and flew out the door to get him warm.
Poor Noah bundled up as the roads were so terrible I couldn't even figure out what lane I was in. We managed to get there, race him inside and warm him up with a hot shower and a snuggle with dad. Chris had to take work off today, to stay with the boys in the warm hotel room while I came home to a very cold house and waited on the installation of a new furnace.
Noah wasn't super happy with his accommodations this time. I think he found the room incredibly small and uneventful. I believe he was rather spoiled from previous blessings while traveling - he remembers everything. He likely even remembered that he wasn't on a plane this time - and I'm sure that disappointed him highly. We could only lay him on the bed which frustrated him he growled and whined in protest - usually the first signal before a big scream and meltdown.
I was so unprepared for this, that I failed to pack things we needed just for an overnight stay. I was flustered, overwhelmed and trying to push forward to just do what needed to be done. I lay in bed most of the night listening to cars struggling on the snow covered pavement, listening to Noah stir and evaluate his breathing, Chris was snoring, Luke's feet tucked under my knees for warmth. And I just prayed, kept telling God that he had finally sent me more than I could handle. That I just couldn't keep up with his demands anymore. I prayed he'd send me an Angel - only for comfort because I felt so alone to handle everything. The blowing heat from a nearby vent dried my slow flowing tears as soon as they fell from the corners of my eyes. I kept thinking to myself for hours as if I could find a solution on how to fix all of this. Don't be silly I told myself:
It's too cold for Angels to fly.
Cooper's Heating arrived promptly as promised today. They were fast, efficient and more than anything incredibly kind. I needed that. I felt so fragile and beat up from life's challenges - and I was very cold.
And then God reminded me in his own little way that I underestimated his Angels - they do fly in the cold. In fact they fly so strong, and with so much warmth cloaked in love to assist us with our hotel stay and food for the boys and a way to feel like we'd find a way through this crisis of needing a new furnace. Blessings much richer than the best cup of hot chocolate when you are down on your luck.
Tonight we are home, we are warm and we are loved.
Love,
Noah's Miracle by Stacy Warden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.