My internship here at Ao-Wa-Kiya seems to be drawing to a close as the busy summer approaches. As I think back on all the good and bad times the opportunity has afforded, I can’t help but be drawn to this phrase: Life really handed me a Lemmon. Three of them, actually. And no, it’s not a typo.

My first run-in with the Lemmon family was with my now-good-friend T (I don’t usually call him that, but for the purpose of not listing his full name on the worldwide stalkernet, I’ll leave it at that), about 4 years ago. Since then, we have grown to be friends, and I have learned first-hand about his generosity and helpfulness.

About 10 months ago, I moved into T’s Duplex (He rents his side from his parents, who live in the other side). This was a huge blessing since I hadn’t brought in the support I needed, and he let me stay there free of charge. This meant that I could live close to Rachel during the week, and still have enough money to eat and buy gas. But beyond that, it opened up another great opportunity.

Mr. and Mrs. Lemmon own a business and, knowing my situation, offered me all the hours I needed, whenever I was able to work (which was generally Monday – Wednesday, with plenty of last-minute changes). This allowed me to have enough money to eat like a human being, and even save up money for the wedding and honeymoon. But the blessings don’t stop there.

The Lemmons found out that I knew a good deal about installing hardwood floors, and before I knew it, I was getting paid handsomely for 3 wood floors and an in-floor heating system, all of which T and I installed.

Now, if you think this isn’t amazing enough of a story, let me add that I burnt down the kitchen. Did that stop their generosity and hospitality? Most certainly not! In fact, one of my flooring jobs came from that fire (Just sit back and think about hiring the kid that burnt down your kitchen to install a new floor, and then paying him well for it)!

Interspersed in all of these events was T and his truck, always coming to the rescue. Rachel moved twice, we had to move a trailer, I needed a ride from the mechanic, I felt like I couldn’t afford gas money… He drove for all of that. And don’t get me started about the wedding! Even a while before the big day he was helping any way he could. Then on the day of the rehearsal, here comes T with his truck, bringing the chairs, 2 bridesmaids, a sound tech (aka himself), an usher and luggage for all of them. Then before, during, and after the wedding he ran truckloads of stuff from camp to the barn and vice-versa, ran sound, watched the weather (taking the pressure off me by practically making the call about going ahead with the outdoor wedding), made sure the getaway vehicle (Oh yeah, Mrs. Lemmon lent me her BMW Z4) was all taken care of, cleaned up and set up who knows what, etc… When I talked to my dad, I mentioned his name and he said “Oh yeah, that guy was everywhere!”

God threw me three Lemmons, and I can’t imagine a more perfect situation than that. I’ve tried to think of what the internship would have been without them, and I can’t picture it. I really think that I would have had to simply pack up and go home, if not for their support. It still amazes me how they played such a huge part in my support without ever giving me a dime. Food, lodging, work… It turned out to be priceless.

And as for T, basically, he did all a human could do for me (and Rachel), without ever asking anything in return.

He is the definition of a friend.

Thank you, Lemmons, and especially T… from the bottom of my heart. God used you in a way that was unimaginable. I hope that sometime, some way, I can repay you… but I also know that God will let no deed go unrecognized. I think you’re far more wealthy than we’ll ever know.

So when life hands you a Lemmon, I pray it’s one of these.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 18th, 2007 at 11:20 pm and is filed under Ao-Wa-Kiya Internship, Serious. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.