An Important Update.

Uff da, the last week has been rough. And Tuesday was particularly rough, although the clouds have brightened considerably since yesterday afternoon.

You all know the last time I posted (Monday) I was down, down, down. The discontinuation of our health insurance was looming at midnight Tuesday night. I was literally sick to my stomach whenever I thought about it, which was pretty much 24/7. I knew our options were extremely limited--we had been declined coverage by a few different providers and we had begun the process to try and get insured through the state.

Well, desperate times call for desperate measures. Although I haven't worked full time in like, 10 or more years, I knew one of the only avenues left open to my family at this juncture was for me to work full time. So it was time to approach Karen (my boss) on Tuesday morning to see I could pay in full for health insurance through the clinic. My heart was pounding, but I was determined to try and get through the initial question with Karen without blubbering like an idiot. You'll be happy to know that I did get through that initial discussion without crying. Karen told me she would meet with Dr. Tom to discuss it that morning and then get back to me later in the day. At the end of my shift, Karen called and asked me to come up to her office when I was done.

When I got upstairs, Dr. Tom and Karen were both there and they invited me into their office. I still didn't want to cry, especially with Dr. Tom there so I plugged up the tears the best I could. They asked me if I was interested in working full-time to make the benefits work--they had managed to put together enough hours for me to qualify. I managed to keep it all together until we were near the end of our discussion...the tears started coming at the point I heard Karen on the phone informing our health provider that they had a new full-time employee on staff that she needed to get signed up for benefits as soon as possible! The relief I felt was incredible, I couldn't hold back the tears at that point. We were going to be ok.

Yes, you read it right. I am the newest full-time employee at Life Wellness Center, and I am now eligible for health benefits for my family. Dr. Tom and Karen were soooo amazing. They embraced me and my family and worked so hard to make it happen for us. I will be eternally grateful for everything they have done for us, I can't even begin to convey what their support means to me. They stepped in when the chips were down and I can hardly believe my good fortune. It's not really " good fortune" though, is it? Once again, even though I have doubted him over and over, God has provided for me and my family. You can't believe the roller coaster my faith has traveled over these past few months. Believe, doubt, believe, doubt, believe, doubt. It gives me a headache, and I can only imagine what it's giving God. How he must want to wallop me upside the head sometimes! Believe, believe, believe. That's all he wants me to do. And especially since he has shown me over, and over, and over that he is a God of his word. He has not left our side for these entire 18 months, even though many times I believed he had. He has so many earthly angels caring for us it makes my head spin. They are too many to name here, but a few more names can be added to that list after yesterday.

So, in at matter of 48 hours, I have gone from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs. My poor body, the stress it has endured these past 18 months have wrecked havoc on it. I need to be really careful in this transition to full time that I give it the love and the rest it so desperately needs right now. But for the immediate future, I can rest a little easier at night knowing that my family will be protected. There is nothing more important to me than making sure my boys are ok. It is at the heart of all of us mom's and dad's. You will do anything to provide for them, and if that means that I have to work full time, then that's what I need to do. It will be hard to miss some of their events, but if doing so guarantees they'll be provided for should there be a medical emergency, I am ok with that. I'm just going to have to teach the hubby how to use my camera......

I cannot express how much your comments have lifted me up these past few days. You can rest easy tonight knowing your prayers for me and my family have been answered. I also want to thank those of you who offered useful tips on how to navigate the big, bad world of health insurance. They were invaluable to me. God's blessings!

Hugs,
Amy