Plumbing, Expense, and Hidden Blessings

Sometimes in the moment of mortality, the blessings are truly hidden.  On Sunday evening I went to get the dish soap out from under the sink and my finger brushed the floor of the cabinet.  I thought that it felt funny and slimy and was worried that some soap had leaked out.  I took out the garbage can and then some of the many cleaning products out from under the sink.  Low and behold the particle board had been soaking up water from a drip for ? how long.  There was actual mold growing on the board.  YUCK!  So I called my sweetheart in a panic and we wiped down the board and put some old yucky towels under the place where the water drips.  It only drips if you actually run the water in the sink.  Next morning, my sweetheart called the plumbing company that we use and trust.  They came out and discovered all of the many instances where prior owners had cut and spliced the pipes under the sink.  He offered to do a 40 point inspection for free so my sweetheart agreed to it.  He found out that our water pressure is too high which probably factored into the dripping pipes.  Also, our water heater was completely corroded and all of the under the sink pipes are badly corroded.  Apparently where we live has extremely poor water.  Also, the current water heater was not installed according to code and also had one of the pipes against the dry wall instead of the mandatory 1 inch space which could have caused a fire.  I won't mention the cost as it is astronomical to get all of these items repared or replaced.   We are also installing a filtration osmosis system that should help keep the minerals and corrosion down.  This should also help our washer, dishwasher etc run longer as well.  Apprently it will also help with laundry and showering to be using cleaner water.  My sweetheart saw the gunk coming out of the water heater and he was amazed that we had been using that water to prepare food, wash dishes and clothes, not to mention showering and drinking that water as well.  The good news is that our actual pipes are in good condition.  So at first we were shocked at the sticker price as they say but we looked at the blessings afforded from this.  We eliminated the risk of our home catching fire from the water heater, the water heater now has the overflow container that the original should have had, the pipes did not burst, and we discovered that the fire sprinkler system gauge is also corroded and dripping and could have burst at any time.  The cost is little more than our deductible for Home Owners insurance for a catastrophe that would have been more than just inconvenient.  This morning when I took a shower the water was hot instantly and with only a slight turn on the faucet knob.  So it may seem very expensive but the Lord has provided and also protected us in this.  I can feel the love he has and the blessings that He has given us in this.