God is opening up the windows of heaven and pouring out his blessings on us.
Our church family is loving us in many tangible ways. In mid-May, the pastors and deacons gave the church the opportunity to express their love to Andy and me by giving us a love offering. The response was unbelievable, overwhelming and very humbling. We have not technically received the money yet because they're trying to research the best way to give it to us so that we will not be taxed on it. Their love and care for us and our needs have been amazing. We are so close to having our mortgage paid off - only 3 years left on it at our current monthly payment. However, now that Andy doesn't have a salary, just disability (considerably lower than his salary was), we are not able to make a payment that steep. BUT God had this all figured out. Two of the deacons in our church met with us and suggested we contact our bank to see if they would give us a loan modification because of our "hardship." We have been consistent with our mortgage payments, even making extra payments on the principle, so there is certainly nothing wrong with our credit. When I called them, they sent out paperwork, which I promptly filled out and returned to the bank. And we just received word that they are going to reduce our payment by $1,200 a month and not charge any fees or closing costs to do this. Wow!
Early in the year, before lawn mowing time, Andy and
I were wondering how we were going to take care of our lawn this
summer. Our riding mower is 21 years old this year. Even with Andy
being very methodical about maintenance and repairs, in recent years, it
seems like we were taking it to the repair shop at least once a season
to have something fixed. But that was when we had Andy's truck and he
was able to transport it to the shop and back home again. Now we don't
have the truck and we weren't sure if Andy would even be able to do
minor maintenance on the mower, as well as take it to be repaired if it
needed it. BUT God had this all figured out. In the spring, a deacon
contacted the church's lawn service to ask if they would do our property
every week after they were finished at the church. Our lawn never got
such great care. They weed whack around every tree and bush (and there
are lots of those!), mow the acre of ground, vacuum all the porches,
patios, and even the deck. And all that in about 30 minutes. (It took
Andy and I an hour and a half when we worked together. And if I did it
all myself, it took me 3 hours!) And the best part - they're not
charging us or the church. What a gift.
And on Monday, I bought a new car. Our car savings
fund was accumulating and I was eager to spend it (ha, ha). I was
thinking our Camry was getting old with over 106,000 miles on it and
with Andy not as tuned into the maintenance, it might be a good time to
invest in a new car. I talked to Dawn about it and she was excited to
start researching what kind I should get. She had just bought a Toyota
Prius in October and was very happy with it. Dawn was every bit as
prepared as Andy ever was when we went to make a large purchase. (She
must have inherited that from her dad.) She called several Toyota
dealers on Monday, checked out what my Camry was worth, etc. What a wheeler dealer she is and it was great fun hanging out with her at the car dealer's watching her work on my behalf. We came away quite satisfied that we got a good deal from our trade in, as well as 0% financing. I didn't need to finance at all, could have paid a different way, but why not take advantage of the 0% financing (free money!). So here it is - a winter gray metallic 2014 Toyota Prius. It gets 50 mpg and Dawn says she only fills her gas tank once a month. Just think of the savings I'll be enjoying.
It's pretty shiny. I'm hoping I can go a long while without getting any scratches or dents in it.
And in the area of Andy's physical state, we are encouraged with how the medicine seems to be working. We also had 2 sessions of physical therapy so far this week with another session scheduled tomorrow. The physical therapist has been very helpful, tailoring an exercise program specifically for Parkinson's patients. Parkinson's Disease causes stiffness and rigidity so that the limbs draw inward. In Andy's sessions he is being encouraged to make large movements, stretching his arms upwards to the sky, taking long strides (power walking). Being aware of what the disease does is helpful in trying to compensate and work at overcoming the limitations.The physical therapist is also giving ideas on brain stimulation. She suggested word games which made me laugh. Andy has never liked word games - that's my thing! But there are still other games that would stimulate his thinking. There are lots available online - we just need to tap into them.
I've been reading a new book by Timothy Keller: Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering. I like everything he writes and am enjoying the encouragement God is giving me through this book. How comforting to know that God is involved with our suffering. He suffers with us, walks with us in our suffering and understands because he suffered, too.A dear friend who is also going through great suffering introduced me to an old hymn - one I hadn't heard before: How Good is the God we Adore. The words really ministered to me and I memorized it to sing every morning:
How good is the God we adore
Our faithful, unchangeable Friend
His love is as great as his power
And knows neither measure nor end.
For Christ is the first and the last
His Spirit will guide us safe home
We'll praise him for all that is past
And trust him for all that's to come.
I hope that this can be my new theme song. I want to be characterized by praising him for all that is past, as well as trusting him for the future.
