DR. RAY RUSSELL

THE $6,000 Pinhole

Dr. Ray Russell President, RaysWeather.com

Follow-up to the Summer 2015, Issue I was honored to be a part of the Summer, 2015 edition of The Journey Magazine. Countless people have commented about the article. It was a story about me that few people in Boone knew, but one I wanted to tell. Many thanks go to Ben Cox for carefully crafting the article and to his staff for the photography and production. And thanks for the hundreds of kind words that have come from so many. For several days, I could not go anywhere in the area without someone I did not know stopping me to say they enjoyed the article.

As a follow-up, Rhonda and I returned to Ashland, MS, last summer for a brief visit. It was the first return since we left in 1980. We visited two couples who were among our best friends there. Wow, had they become old! ☺ We remembered good times, and a few not so good events. All three families had been through so much in 35 years. But both couples are now grandparents in strong, extended Christian families.

The two men that were my close friends in Ashland: one had been a church elder for many years; the other had been a State Senator in Mississippi for 12 years. Upon retirement from the State Senate, his closest election was decided by a 65%-35% vote. He was beloved in his community and district for being an uncharacteristically honest and independent voice in Jackson, MS (not surprisingly angering both political parties!). I felt honored to have been a part of both of their lives. The visit this summer vindicated a difficult time for me, a 23-year-old minister in a tiny, poor, southern town.

More Stories to Tell

I’m a storyteller at heart, looking for meaning in the mundane. I was thrilled that The Journey asked me to contribute an article in the Summer 2015 issue. So here’s another story…

As many know, Rhonda and I had a wild idea to move from Boone, NC, to Abilene, TX, in 2001. Abilene was nice enough; we made good friends; we could have finished our careers there. But the draw of cool air, lush mountains, and friends in Boone brought us back in 2002.

to Boone. While we do not regret our decisions, it was a stressful time in many ways.

That Pipe

But by far the most stressful event in our moves was selling our house in Abilene, TX. The house was a comfortable 40-year-old home. Most houses in Abilene are built on concrete slabs. Curiously, in years past, they dug the foundations for the house and trenches for air ducts and water pipes. Next they ran the ductwork and covered it in a generous layer of sand. Then they laid the copper pipe and put down another layer of sand. Finally, they poured concrete to finish the foundation.

About two weeks before we were to close on selling the house, I heard a mysterious “pssssssssst” in the master bedroom. Initially I ignored it, thinking it was nothing. But when Rhonda mentioned it (my wonderful wife who can be oblivious to major mechanical problems ☺), I knew it HAD to be real—a water leak under the concrete slab.

Friends recommended a plumbing company that specialized in locating problems like this with ultrasound equipment. They came while I was at work. When I returned home, there was a section of carpet pulled up in my office with a large “X” painted on the concrete below. “X marked the spot,” they told me over the phone. A day later, they came with a jackhammer; dust was as thick as fog on the Blue Ridge. After an hour or so of digging, they uncovered a pipe—dry as the day it was placed in the ground.

So they brought back the ultrasound equipment, traced the “pssssssssssst” to the living room, pulled up carpet, jackhammered again. And yet again when they reached the pipe, it was as dry as the day it was installed. An evening and a morning; the second day. Next, they followed the trail into the master bedroom--carpet torn up; jackhammer; dust. And there it was… The hot water line with the tiniest of pinholes. I have kept the pipe as a memento. The photo evidence is shown here.

40 years earlier someone had failed to put enough sand between the hot water pipe and the air duct. 40 years of expanding and contracting of that pipe as it rubbed against the duct produced the pinhole. That small act of negligence covered up by concrete 40 years earlier cost us over $6000.

It took two frantic weeks of finishing, carpeting, and cleaning to put the house back together. But we did, and the house sold on schedule.

Life Lesson

I have been reminded of that pipe many times--those seemingly small things that I covered up in my own actions or in my own character that I thought were hidden so deeply they would never matter and no one would ever know. When they come back in costly ways, I think about that how that pipe’s story is sadly evidenced in my life. Thanks be to God who does not need ultrasound! ...

Written by Dr. Ray Russell

Ps 19: 7-14 “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.

They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward. But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”