For many months, John had been suggesting that I consider getting a new computer, gently reminding me that mechanical things eventually do wear out. But surely, I kept telling myself, Poindexter didn’t really need to retire!

Poindexter had been my computer for almost ten years, and (although he had begun to get a little cranky in his old age) had never given me any serious trouble. I superficially agreed with John that I should probably upgrade , but I hated the idea of setting up a new computer when Poindexter had everything just as I liked. Additionally, I’d watched a couple YouTube videos on Windows 11 that made the new operating system seem decidedly undesirable. So I ignored John’s pleas and convinced myself that Poindexter would defy aging for a few more years.

Sunday evening, November 20, John tried to turn on Poindexter. My beloved computer had died of a corrupted hard drive.

John wasted no time ordering a new desktop from Dell that Monday morning, after which he settled down to recover downloaded software from Poindexter. Almost a year ago, his laptop Della had died, and he had successfully retrieved data to transfer to his new laptop, Delilah. Therefore he felt fairly confident that he could salvage things from Poindexter. But all his efforts proved fruitless — Poindexter was brain dead.

Thankfully, we had saved most of my documents and pictures on a zip drive. That fact assured us that we could simply download my version of CoreIDRAW software (which I use for graphics on this blog) and type in my product key. Well, no. That version has just expired, making the product key entirely useless. I began seeing dollar signs with wings flying blissfully out of my PayPal account. Would I also have to purchase Typing Assistant over again?

So Tuesday we waited. John has my WordPress editor on Delilah, so I was able to dictate the remainder of my blog post to him and have him publish it. Other than that, I stayed in bed, since it hurts to sit in the wheelchair unless I’m at my desk where I can use my headstick to lean on my desk to redistribute the weight. Our DVD player has YouTube, so I occupied myself watching Susan Heck, John MacArthur and Justin Peters. I kept busy, but I missed Poindexter.

By then, I was not behaving in ways that adorned the Gospel. I began picking at John, completely forgetting how much he was doing to deal with the situation. I felt angry, and he was the available target. I didn’t want a new computer — I wanted Poindexter! I actually experienced symptoms of grieving, strange as it sounds. I felt ashamed for not counting my spiritual blessings, aware of my hypocrisy. Thanksgiving was coming, and I just wanted to wallow in self-pity.

Amazingly, the new computer arrived Wednesday, and one of John’s buddies rushed over to unpack it and get it situated on my desk. After he left, John spent an hour on the phone with Dell support setting up various things. Since I go to bed at 5:30, however, I didn’t get to use it. But in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday, I named her Providence.

I found out, in the next few days, how well her name fits her. Despite all my fears about Windows 11, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Most notably, I can turn her on through the keyboard rather than having to depend on John or his PCA to do it. Thus, when thunderstorms pass, I’ll no longer be stranded until one of them can help me. This feature is an enormous answer to prayer, people!

I’ve been slowly but surely assembling Providence since Thursday, plugging in product keys for ESword, creating a new prayer list (also in ESword), filling in passwords for online apps like Facebook and Twitter, and learning about Windows 11. The Lord moved on my non-Christian sister’s heart so that she insisted on paying for my CoreIDRAW software, which we ordered in CD form in case Providence dies. Providentially, we ordered it on Cyber Monday, saving her nearly $200. So everything is coming together, and I’m repenting of my self-pity and hypocrisy.

Although I miss Poindexter, God has blessed me with Providence. I pray that the blog posts I create with her will bless you.