One of the best gifts that I was ever given, I received on March 24, 2002. After over four years of watching me struggle with joint pain, my husband gave me a hot tub. That hot tub has been a source of relief for me for over ten years now. I considered having a party in March, to celebrate the anniversary of our introduction. There are not that many gifts that provide daily -- sometimes twice daily -- gratification! I still have the original owner’s manual in my file cabinet. It is thick with receipts for chemicals, occasional repairs, and, most recently, a new hot tub cover. My husband has replaced the motor and repaired the pump. I used to apply annual coats of
oil to protect the teak body. When we relocated to our home on the mountain, it was our intention to place the hot tub on a deck outside of our bedroom. It has taken longer than we expected to finish the deck, hire the lift and place the hot tub. Knowing that life without a hot tub would be difficult for me, my husband appropriated a bay of the garage for the purpose of housing the hot tub. So rain, shine, sleet or dark of night, the hot tub waits for me. I push a button and the garage door slides open. With two hands, I peel back the hot tub cover. I keep the water at an inhumanly high temperature... today, a record 107 degrees was what it took to penetrate to my bones and quiet the warfare. So, I save the receipt as a reminder that hope comes in many different forms, and one of them looks like a 5 foot by 7 foot box.
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| Receipt |
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| Hot tub design. |
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