Our household has taken a number of hits the past few months:

 

1) June 1st Doug got laid off, and hasn’t been able to find work.

2) Before that we’d both had our hours cut.

3) In July Doug tried a job that didn’t work out, but delayed his unemployment by several weeks.

4) I had to call the mortgage company and make a new arrangement to pay our late payments.

5) The 14th of this month I fell off the porch and broke my ankle.

6) For some reason it took 15 days for our mailed payment to reach the mortgage company, causing us to default on our payment arrangement.

7) On the 21st, Doug started to hemorrhage and had to be taken, by ambulance, to the hospital.

8 ) The 23rd he had surgery to remove 2 polyps and a couple of hemorrhoids.

9) I spent 4 hours in surgery yesterday. It seems my ankle was actually shattered.

 

Yes, the storms have hit pretty danged hard around here, especially the last couple of weeks, but…

 

… since Doug’s lay-off, we’ve been able to get a lot done around the house.

… his unemployment cleared just in time to make a larger than normal mortgage payment.

… he was here when I fell, and was able to stay home to care for me.

… the default on our payment arrangement, worked out to a better arrangement for us.

… Doug has had problems before, and now we know that it isn’t cancer, and he shouldn’t have anymore problems.

… he was home the night of the 23rd, and is doing very well.

… the doctor was able to put “Humpty Dumpty” back together again, and my ankle should be fine. I will, however set off the metal detector at the airport from now on.

 

There have been other blessings as well:

 

a) Thanks to a bonus and sick pay, I was saving, our bills are caught up until the 11th of November.

b) Both our cars are paid off.

c) My insurance will cover most of the bill for my ankle, because it was an emergency.

d) We’ve discovered we enjoy each others company, even in trying circumstances.

 

So, I will choose to praise Him in this storm, and thank Him for the blessings our hard times have brought to our home and relationship.

 

2 Corinthians 12:10 “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

 

Psalm 56:4 “In God (I will praise His word),In God I have put my trust; I will not fear…”