How Sam the Plumber Stopped my Waterworks

A couple of weeks ago, on a Tuesday afternoon, I received a direct message on Instagram and here’s what it said:

“Hi Monica, it’s Sammy DiPietro.  I did a couple of years at Blakelock, not sure if you remember me.  Just saying hi and following. Great job on your career – Sam “

This message made my day, I love hearing from former classmates, I have such fond memories of high school. Sammy was a super nice guy.

Sam and I texted back and forth and he shared with me that he is now a plumber and all three of his sons are involved in his business.  He’s really proud of them, life is good, his wife does all of his paperwork and he’s built a successful family business.

Wednesday afternoon I received a message from another friend, a dear neighbour from the street I grew up on.  She was letting me know that sadly as of yesterday our family home was no longer there, it had been torn down.  Oh boy, we all knew it was coming, but I took it pretty badly.

As soon as I learned the house was gone, a flood of memories filled my head.  Some of those memories were not even my own.  I imagined how my Mom and Dad must have felt when they purchased the home, how proud my Dad always was of his castle.  My brother and I taking our first steps there and how lucky we were to have lived in this house right up until our twenties.  I remember in particular how exciting it was at our house on a Friday night in the 70’s.  My Dad would prepare steak on the barbecue and we would all watch TV in the basement and enjoy our special dinner.  If we were really lucky, by the time the Love Boat came on at 9 my Mom would say, “Surprise kids, avocado was on sale this week”… ooooh that was my favourite!  Best dessert!  Ha ha.  Half an avocado with a little salt and a spoon to scoop it out with.  It really was a delicacy back then and we appreciated every bite.

The tears were streaming down my face, Wayne was consoling me as he always does so well, I finally pulled myself together and called my Mom.

Still sniffling a little I went on Instagram to get my mind off it and the first post I see in my feed is from Sam the Plumber.  The post announces that he has just started working on a new home in Oakville.  I saw the post and was inspired to turn my melancholy mood into something positive for Sam.  I gave Sam the address of our old house and let him know what had happened.  I suggested he contact the new owner, since he would  obviously need a plumber once he starts building.

Sam’s response was a photograph of the paperwork he was reviewing.  A new job for which he was sending in a proposal for.  Our property!

My jaw dropped, I couldn’t believe it.  The chances of Sam reaching out to me the day before, 34 years after high school and then applying for the contract work on our property.  My sadness changed quickly to a feeling of knowing that everything would be okay.  My Dad sent the message from the other side, loud and clear.  He was once again making sure we knew he was watching.

Since that day Sam has come to visit me at the glamjulz studio, he bought a beautiful pink necklace for his wife and it has been confirmed that he won the proposal and WILL be working on the land our family lived on for 49 years.

So happy Sam has his hand in the work and that my Dad is always watching over us.

Monica XO

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