That is how I feel today. I have no desire to do much of anything. Unfortunately there is much that needs to be tended to today. And I am the head tender.
It is days like today that I wish I had one of those metabolisms that laughed in the face of a handful of peanut M&Ms. But nope. I might as well just hot glue stuff like that straight onto my butt. Cause that is where it will end up anyway.
Weight Watchers is great. But slow. At least for me anyway. Really slow. Super slow. I want to start walking and then running and then walking. If I can find the energy.
I’ve been using a few cups of stove popped in canola oil as my WW friendly snack food. But in the last three months alone the pop corn at Costco has gone up over 5 dollars in price for the container I usually purchase.
I gotta say wondering if I can afford popcorn while friends and neighbors are heading out on vacations, attending the summer rodeos, going out to dinner and just having regular summers is starting to make me feel a bit sad.
Okay. More than just a bit.
We received word Friday that Brant’s new and very expensive bike was stolen. Reed and I spent a lot of the weekend staring at each other and wondering how we were going to come up with the cash to buy him a new one? What happens if we tell Brant’s mission president that we simply don’t have the coin to replace this bike. Would they send Brant home? Could he and his companion take turns riding on the handlebars of the one remaining bike?
The real kicker is that the money we had set aside for this mission went to medical bills. The never ending, life sucking pieces of paper our mailbox is usually full of.
Yeah. I know. I’m just a total ray of sunshine today, ain’t I? It’s a gift. Compliments of my insurance company.
I read about how Universal Health Care is the cure to all of our problems. Then I read articles on how in Germany health care under a universal plan is being rationed, because there simply isn’t enough money for everyone to receive it.
And those that get kicked off the life boat first are the elderly and kids like Parker.
So, I’m hoping for another option. One that works well for everyone.
Of course I’m not going to hold my breath or anything.
And finally. The words of wisdom I am holding close to my heart today:
Courage does not always roar. Sometimes it is a quiet voice at the end of the day, saying…. “I will try again tomorrow.” ~Mary Anne Radmacher
I have read your blog for a long time now. I have a son who has had mnay health issues and many surgeries in is 7 years of life. I have had zero medical bills cause out state gives medical assistance to kids born with bitrh defects. I know it would be extreme, BUT… have you ever thought of moving to a starte that does this? Without it, I would have a million dollar baby. Yes, we work and have regular medical insurance but the medical assistance picks up where the primary insurance stops.
Sending you good thoughts… Frugal Carol
I’m so sorry. Sounds like a pretty cruddy day. I’ll pray for something good to happen today… and who knows? Maybe some thing will come up with the bike…
Everywhere I go today people are in the worst mood. It’s funny, cause I’m right there too. I wonder if there’s something to moon cycles….maybe I’ll get into astrology after all.
I owe two mortgage payments and am totally wasting one of them to take a trip which I cannot afford, mostly to get me out of my funk.
But you nailed the issue with universal health care right on the head. The government gets to decide who lives and who dies. eek. Of course, our system has its issues, too, as you live and breathe them daily.
There was a really interesting show recently on health care systems around the world, and it seems that everywhere you go, somebody gets the shaft. Nobody’s figured it out completely.
I’d suggest, see if maybe one of the members there coulf use freecycle to nab him a new (well differnt bike).
I watched a good program on frontline about healthcare. They decided switzerland has the best program that the US could convert to
I’m sorry you are down. Out of all you are facing, it seems the bike should be able to something that can be addressed. Forgive my ignorance, but if your son is going out to do missionary work, isn’t there someone associated with the mission who can help him financially or at the very least give him a bike so he can continue his good work? Don’t those at the mission understand what your family is going through? I am just curious–please don’t read any anger or annoyance into these questions.
Christine,
No worries.
In our church families are pretty much expected to take care of their missionaries. From the time a baby boy is born most families set up their ‘missionary funds.’ That fund along with what the boy himself earns and saves (and Brant did a lot) is what is used to see a young man through his mission.
Unless something like catastrophic medical bills come up.
It takes quite a bit to get a missionary ready to enter the field, and a bit more to keep him out there each month. And, no, nobody where Brant is knows about Parker or things here. Plus, the LAST thing we want if for Brant to worry about things here.
We were feeling pretty confident that we could swing things at our end, with the help of my parents, …..until this stolen bike issue. A mere six months after he entered the mission field.
Reed and I were totally blown away at the type of bike we were told Brant would need due to his size and the amount of time he would spend riding it. We even purchased special insurance in case it was stolen. But that only covers half of the cost of a new bike. The other half is our responsibility.
But we believe that if Brant can have to faith to learn a totally new language, go to a totally new place and do the work he has been called to do, then his Mom and Dad can exercise that same faith that the bicycle issue can and will be resolved.
Since Compton is one of the top 5 places for a bike to be stolen, there is a chance that Brant could indeed lose another bike. If that were to happen, and it has been known to, then we would have to turn to our church for a bit of help in getting him another bike.
Either that or hope they transfered Brant someplace where he could dive a car instead. 😉
I doubt that they would send him home from his mission if you could not get him the bike. My husband had issues learning the language that he was supposed to learn thanks to a reading disability and he was sent to a US mission. You should go to your bishop and ask for help, after all that is partially what I expect my tithing to go to, helping people like you that are in a bind through no fault of your own.
I’m sorry about your son’s bike, and for your mounting medical bills. I do not believe Universal Healthcare is the answer either, but of course, I don’t have a solution to crappy medical problems either. It just sucks. People should not have to choose between eating a bit of popcorn or paying an outrageous medical bill. That is just wrong.
Take care,
Kay
I am so sorry about your sons bike and can only imagine how much it sucks to not be able to do things because of medical bills. I am praying for something wonderful to happen to your family regarding those bills and that bike. Many blessings.
I stumbled across your blog without knowing you or your situation at all. As I’ve read through your posts, I feel a deep appreciation for the way with which you’re handling a tough situation.
I’ve currently got a son out in the mission field, and I think you need to make sure the mission president is aware of your situation. It may be that there is a missionary who will be finishing his mission, and that your son would be able to get a “new bike” without the expensive of having to start over.
Best wishes!