It was on Good Friday when I heard from the doctor then promptly called Jody to advise that I needed to book a date in the very near future for this surgery.  The timing of this was so symbolic of the journey we would both embark as we were about to lay our lives down with trust in God to perform the transplant, then rise again with a new outlook on life.  Certainly my outlook was tremendous and more hopeful with the second chance to live a normal life yet greatly enhanced by God’s grace.  Jody will continue in fine health as any donor does but also has a deeper union with Christ his savior who laid down His life for all of us.

Jody testified about his experience making this sacrifice at our church and this was recorded an posted on our church web site.  You can find this at

http://www.fairfaxvideos.com/stories/jenandjodycorbet

Earlier in the week a co-worker of mine, Corky, made mention to the fact that he was going to be busy all day Sunday assisting his mother with a move.  And if the move took too long he may not make it to a dinner and a movie that had also been planned.  Corky is the kind of guy that would do anything for you.  He is a handyman extraodinaire.  He even installed a ceiling fan in my house one time.  Corky explained that they had a U-haul truck all rented, and Corky advised me that he thought he had plenty of help.  That was the answer I wanted hear, as Sunday is football day.  On this day during football months, I can undoubtedly be found relaxing on my couch, unproductively staring and yelling at the telelvision, all the while managing several, inconsequential fantasy leagues for hours at a time.  

However, on this particular Sunday morning, something brought me proximally closer to Corky.  My fiance, Melissa, works in Petersburg, Va, about 30 miles south of our home, and needed a ride to work (something I rarely have to do).  Though never having been there before, I knew that Corky and his mother lived within minutes from her job site.   After dropping Melissa off at work, instead of heading home to the couch to a day filled with television, chips, pizza, and beer, I felt God’s calling to lend a helping hand.

I called up Corky and asked if he was ready for another helper.  He welcomed me to the team and directed me where to go.  I was able to harken back to my days at a moving and storage company where I had worked one summer in college.  That experience came in handy, as we managed to get all of her stuff (more solid wood pieces than one could imagine!) jam-packed into the moving truck.  Also, being a fan of the 90-degree angle didn’t hurt either.  Yes mom, they are still testing for OCD.  Anyways, through teamwork and cooperation we knocked out the move in no time, and had a good time doing it. 

Corky and his mother, Jerry, were very appreciative.  Upon concluding the move, I was asked how I got “roped” into helping.  I told them, plainly, it was no big deal.  The funny thing is, in retorspect, that could not have been more true.  Lending a helping hand is so easy to do, and goes such a long way.  If more people would think in such terms on a consistent basis, the world that we live in today could be much different.  I will be continuing to look for ways to perpetuate God’s grace.  Corky and Jerry are very nice people, and the perfect choice to further propagate the Grace Epidemic.  Card number 18 will passed onto them.

My family hired a piano repair man a few months ago to fix the antique piano my grandmother left us. During the time he was working on restoring the piano, we got to know him and become friends since he had many interests in common with us. When he dropped the piano off at our house last week, he brought along his adorable five-year-old son. While his father (the piano man), his father’s helper, my dad, and our neighbor struggled to carry the piano safely down the hill to our basement door, I went out to play with the boy and keep an eye on him. His father explained that there was always the possibility it could get away from them and roll down the hill. Soon the piano was in our house. His son and I were having fun pretending to fish from my tree house while his father worked on the piano, and his father’s helper quickly made friends with my father, talking for hours about many things, especially the Bible and church activities. The next day the piano man called and said that his helper had actually been his good friend and that without our realizing it, the conversations his friend had had with my dad had about the everyday things in his life made a lasting impression on him. He said the conversation helped him with some things he was seeking God about. The piano man said that if I hadn’t babysat his son, they would have not been able to stay so many hours and visit with us while they worked. The piano man went on to say that his friend told him that he felt that God brought us all together for a reason. While the piano man was working on the piano, God was working on the heart of the piano man’s friend.

-Sarah

                                                                         Jacob Fournier