The Week in Review

I've been really bad about posting lately. It's like the little man in the movie The Yellow Submarine said. "So much to do, so little time." I figured now that I have a couple of minutes I'd review what's been going on at home.

Monday I dropped my daughter off at her roommate's house and said goodbye as they got ready to go back to school. I kept my cool while I was there, but I cried on the way home. Why is it so hard? I know she has to grow up and leave home, and now is as good a time as any, since she's doing something good with her life. Still, I feel like a part of me is missing. It's kind of like people who've lost a limb, yet they still feel the sensation of that body part. That's how I'm feeling right now. Her classes started on Wednesday. She's already thinking of dropping one class; we'll see how that goes.

My oldest son was really sick with the flu. Fever, chills, body aches, the whole run of the gamut, and he had to work. Thankfully he had a couple of days off before he had to go back, but he just started working and got sick. Then Dad caught it. I actually woke up because he was wheezing (he's asthmatic) and I had to get him his medicine because he was so achy and exhausted he didn't even realize he was having trouble breathing. Now my little guy's got it. He came home from school on Wednesday with 101.3 fever and a sore throat. I gave him Motrin and let him rest, but the next morning he had 102.8 fever. I took him to the doctor today, who advised us E has a throat infection and is wheezing a bit too. I spent over $100 in medicines (ugh). But at least his fever seems to be under control. The sad part is that he missed Awana on Wednesday which he was really looking forward to, and I missed a small groups meeting yesterday because he was still sick and I had no one to leave him with.

On the topic of small groups, Pastor John has asked me to lead another women's group this spring. Last spring we used a great study guide, Bad Girls of the Bible by Liz Curtis Higgs. It went so well that I asked Pastor John if I could continue with the series and he said absolutely. So I've chosen as our curriculum Really Bad Girls of the Bible. I'm sure God is going to bless us as we get into His word and look at the women who did the wrong things and why we want to avoid those paths.

I'm serving in the children's ministry this Sunday, and I get to teach on my favorite book of the Bible, Job. There's something about teaching these youngsters about God and seeing their little faces as they remember what has been studied, that just brings total joy into my life. I love these little critters, and knowing that what they're learning will impact their lives gives me a sense of urgency. They won't be little forever; in fact they won't be little for very long. There's a small window of time when we can reach their tiny hearts with the Gospel before they become teenagers and know more than anyone about everything. Now is the time. I've got to give it all I've got. I thank the Lord that He has given me this gift and opportunity to teach these precious children about Him and His Word. I'm blessed to be able to serve Him by blessing others.

And speaking of blessings, we got an incredible blessing this week. Back in October the ceramic tiles in our master bathroom started falling out. I called the insurance company to see if they would cover the damages. We knew it would cost quite a bit of money to get the bathroom fixed, since the tiles we currently have in the bathroom are discontinued. It would mean retiling the entire bathroom, and on one income that just wasn't fathomable. An adjuster was sent out, then plumbers to see if there were any leaks. We were supposed to get an answer back in 2 weeks whether the insurance company would pay for our claim or not. Three weeks went by and there was no answer. I called our insurance company, and was told that the adjusters didn't have a final report yet. I was given the adjuster's phone number so I could call them and find out when they'd have an answer. I called and left voicemails for the adjuster and her supervisor. Thanksgiving came and went, with no answer. I called the first week of December, and the supervisor finally got back to me. She apologized for not having gotten back to me sooner, then told me her adjuster still didn't have a final report. She'd get back to me that afternoon. Two days later I called and left numerous messages. Mid December the supervisor called again; the final report was done but she hadn't received it yet. She assured me she'd call back that day. Nothing. The week of Christmas they were on vacation, and the week of New Years as well (at least that's what the receptionist kept telling me). Finally I called my insurance company again this Wednesday. Don't ask me why I didn't call the insurance company earlier. I should have, but I just didn't. My insurance company was appalled that this claim had been open since October, and here it is January and we've never received an answer. The woman apologized profusely and assured me the adjuster would contact me TODAY. Thursday morning, still no call. I call the insurance company again. This time a gentleman takes the call. I explain my frustrating story to him. My husband wanted me to yell at them and tell them off, but I'm just not like that. I just related my situation to the agent and asked him to please give me an answer: are they going to pay for my claim or not? The agent told me the woman I'd spoken to the day before had indeed told the adjusters to call me but they never did. He told me he would take care of this case before the day was through. I must admit I was very skeptical at this point, and my husband kept insisting that I was being too nice and the only way I'd get results was to yell and scream. Instead I prayed and left the whole matter in God's hands. That afternoon the agent called and told me an estimator was in my neighborhood and could he come by to see the bathroom? He would provide an estimate to my insurance company and they'd cut a check right away. I was surprised and delighted! I called my husband, and he came home so he could be there when the estimator came. About half an hour after the agent called, the adjuster finally phoned me, after 3 months of messages. She told me my claim had been denied, because they found no cause for the tiles to fall out other than the grout had fallen away. Shocked, I said to her, "Really? That's strange, because the insurance company just called and they're sending an estimator over right now. They told me they're paying on this claim." She sounded very surprised and said she was going to call the insurance company. Now I was worried; who was I to believe? I called the insurance company back, and the agent told me to disregard the adjuster's phone call - they were paying on my claim. Come to find out, the insurance company has over 1,900 complaints about this adjuster (can you believe it?) and they aren't going to use this company to do inspections anymore. Here is the most amazing part: had the adjuster called in her report, the insurance company would not have paid on our claim based on her evaluation. But since she didn't do her job, my insurance company felt obligated to pay on our claim because so much time had gone by. I got a call from the agent today, and they are paying $1,000 over what we had calculated that we were going to receive!! I tell you, I see God's hands all over this! Normally I would have given up on the adjusters and called my insurance company to handle this matter. Yet for some reason I just didn't. Now I see that God was in control of the situation, and He allowed this much time to go by so that our bathroom could get fixed without us having to dip into our savings to do so. I am so thankful that my God takes care of everything in my life. Two months ago I couldn't see why this was taking so long; today I see that it didn't take long at all. It was taken care of in God's timing.

So yeah, it's been pretty busy around here. And that's just fine with me. Have a blessed weekend.