Probably every one of us has heard the saying, “Every cloud has a silver lining,” and it is not that hard to understand its meaning. It means that in every situation that could be considered negative, there is always a way to find some positive.

Donna Sue and I were at Mexico Beach for a few days and a friend was “babysitting” our dog, Little Bit.

She called with an update. Little Bit was doing fine, but there was some bad news.

“Your refrigerator has died,” she said.

Would you consider that something negative? Let’s find that silver lining. It wasn’t hard to do.

First of all, as much as I love refrigerators, when they die, they can be replaced. It’s not like it was Little Bit or someone who could not be replaced. That’s a silver lining.

Not only can a refrigerator be replaced, it’s not the most expensive home appliance. A tree didn’t fall on the house. The motor in my car did not blow a head gasket, whatever that might mean. It was only a refrigerator. That’s another silver lining.

Here is another. Neither Donna Sue nor I crave those refrigerators with jet engines or doors that dispense cold water, ice cubes, and ice cream sandwiches. That makes an affordable refrigerator even more available.

I walked into the store to buy a new refrigerator and passed by the Cadillac and the Mercedes Benz. I asked the nice lady in the department, “Do you have any Model T’s?” I really confused her.

“I’m looking for a new refrigerator and I’d like one with a ‘bird’ price,” I continued.

“Bird price?” she asked, even more confused.

“Yes,” I said. “You know…cheep, cheep!” I laughed but she didn’t.

I bought one and told the lady I was headed right home and would be there to open the door for the delivery man. I assumed they would deliver within the hour. You all know about assumptions, don’t you?

“We can deliver it next Thursday. It has to come out of our warehouse in Dothan,” she said.

“What about this one?” I asked. “It’s already in town.”

Well, you can’t fight city hall and you can’t change the delivery schedule of big stores. I miss the days when one walks into a store, buys a big ticket item, and it is delivered within the same year! Back to silver linings and dead refrigerators.

I have to live a whole week without a refrigerator. Where is the silver lining in that? When the going gets tough, the tough get going. I put my nose to the grindstone and accepted that I have one week to live without something that I have taken for granted all my life.

The greatest silver lining of all is that I found out what I am not alone. I can do it, thanks to friends. I gathered up some ice chests, found out who might have some free ice and went to work juggling what needed to be cooled along with ice and ice chests.

Oh, there’s more, but not enough time and space to tell you. Come Thursday Donna Sue and I will have our new fridge. Rest in Peace, Mr. Whirlpool. And come to Daddy, you good-looking, brand-spanking new General Electric!