Looking for Noah and His Ark!

This is my second post today, something I don't usually do. Explanation follows.
This morning and into the early afternoon it was a perfect day to be outside in the garden. (See my previous post) I got a lot done in about 2 hours, which is my limit to do physical work. So, then I thought I'd reward myself by having lunch on the deck and admire my handiwork. About an hour into the eating and admiration, the skies clouded over and a little sprinkle of rain starts. "Oh well" I thought, "into every life a little rain must fall and you've at least sat outside for awhile."
Did I day a "little" rain. Oh my goodness! It turned into a thunderstorm and the rain was coming down so hard I couldn't see outside my windows. After about 1/2 hour of this, something told me to put on my boots and go check the area under my living room window. I'm so glad I did, as the rain was starting to pool and it wasn't running off. Now this wouldn't be too much of a problem, except that it was getting dangerously close to the vent for fireplace in the basement family room.
I should explain. The fireplace has a vent behind the fireplace doors, in front of the place where one would burn wood. This is to pull in fresh air to keep the fire going. Of course there is a proper chimney for the smoke and some of the gases to escape. The aforesaid vent is somewhat like the dryer vent you would have in your house. It goes to the outside wall and is covered by some metal mesh and a little hood. It should have been put higher on the outside wall, but as I am not the one who had it done, c'est la vie. (I'm the third owner) I could see that all this rain water was going to go down the vent opening and then into the fireplace and make all the bricks damp and perhaps even cause water damage to the floors and walls. I think that has happened before but not to a great extent, as in past years the hearth would feel a little damp which I put down to it being a basement which sometimes gets humid.
Well, I got the spade out of the shed and started to dig a trench to drain the water.
By this time I was sinking into the mud and of course soaked even with rain gear on. I kept digging and finally the rain let up, and the trench did its job of draining the water away from the vent. While doing this and thinking how to remedy this on a permanent basis, I had an inkling of how terrible it must have been for our soldiers in the First and Second World Wars to be digging trenches in the rain and losing their horses, equipment and most horrible of all, their friends to the sucking mud. Also I have so much more empathy for people who are in extreme conditions of flooding and must fight for their lives and their homes. My boots were sometimes stuck and it was difficult to move, but I could extricate them after only a little effort. I did not let myself, after getting that epiphany, even think for one second that I was being hard done by. Rather, I was thankful that I had the energy and tools to divert the 'flood'. I was also thankful for the nudge or premonition that took me outside so that my little disaster would be fixed.
If you've taken the time to read this far, I thank you.
Also I would like to say, if you spend your time thinking of how unfair God and the universe is to you, God and the universe will only hear the "unfair" part and you will get more of the same. If you can, think instead of the blessing God gives you. "As you think, so will you be".
Keep smiling my friends and "Just Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella" (those of you born in the 40's will remember this song and the Andrew Sisters)