We'd been talking, not all that seriously, about buying a small 'toaster oven' so when one of us wanted to fix nachos (I make a killer 'mucho macho nachos'), or other small dishes, we'd not have to rev up the large stove, especially in the summer when it just makes the whole house hotter.

Then one day while mulling around the Council On Aging Thrift Store, I found a small convention oven for $7.  I mean how far wrong could I go, right.  So I bought it, brought it home and started using it…for all of 2 days before it quit working.

I was initially a bit disappointed because I'd bought other items from Council On Aging and had been pleased. But this purchase left me with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth, even though I knew it had worked when I brought it home, just not for very long.

So, after a few days I figured I'd at least open it up and see if I could figure out what was wrong with it. While it took a bit to get into it, it was easy to find the problem – a burned out "thingamabob."

Now it was time to call in the internet. I pulled out the burned out 'thingamabob' and looked on the good one beside it and found a number on it.  I googled on the number and found out that the rest of the world calls it a rectifier.  The next trick was to find a replacement.

Not to worry.  I called Radio Shack and found one for less than two dollars.  A quick trip to the store and I was ready to do my 'handyman thing.'

The big question in my mind:  "Would it work?"  Well, I'm pleased to say, it's now been about a month and I've used the over at least a dozen times and it works like a charm.  Don't worry, I replaced the cover before turning it on.  Now sure, I could have simply gone out and bought a new one.  I think this model sells for about $50, so it would have hardly broken the bank. 

But look at all the pleasure I would have missed, not to mention saving the used toaster oven from being carted off to the landfill.  And I also grew just a little more as a person. I now have a greater confidence in my 'handyman' abilities.  So much so that a week or two after fixing the over, when Ann received a call from a friend that she was having trouble with her washing machine, I pulled several of my tools together in a carrying case and went over with Ann to see what I could figure out.

Ann's friend said she had a second washing machine that had come with the place she was renting, but she needed some helping moving the broken one out and the replacement in.  But before doing that I offered to see if I could figure out what the problem was.

As it turned out, together, the three of us figured out that there was a blockage keeping the water from draining properly.  I was able to removed the blockage and once again the machine was as good as new.  For sure, the Maytag repair man I'm not, but I know I made some small difference in that family's life and once again grew a little more in my own confidence and sense of expressing my purpose in service to another. 

And it is in that spirit of being of service that I share this story with you.