Friday morning

Thank you for your kindness, my bloggy friends. :)

Thursday was so frustrating but I had an unexpected gift of time this morning. Christopher's friend called him about 9:00 last night to ask if he wanted to stay at his co-op on campus. A lot of guys had already left for their Thanksgiving vacation so there was plenty of room for him to stay overnight.

He only had one math assignment he had to send in by midnight so he took him up on the offer. They most likely stayed up into the wee hours this morning playing computer games but he did make his 7:30 class this morning. He called after the class and before he went to work.

Not only was it good to sleep in but there was pea soup thick fog this morning that I didn't have to drive in. His car is parked at the co-op... no driving in and waiting this evening. It wasn't his fault I had to wait two hours, his unanticipated change in schedule happened after I was already in town. He had to meet with his computer science lab partner at the last minute. I try to keep change with me at all times so I can at least sip a cup of coffee while waiting.

The clinic has two women whose job (all day!) is to work with the pharmaceutical companies. All three of us have been frustrated with Lilly as they have been trying to get my new year of receiving HumaLog started now for a couple of months. Although they have the copies of all the paperwork sent to Lilly, the company says they never received it. We had to start all over again which meant having to get a new prescription from my doctor.

They couldn't give me samples of HumaLog until the prescription was back from him. However, these women are amazing and I have no doubt I'll get a call today to come back to the clinic for a couple vials to keep me going.

After depending on free medicine for a number of years now, I've learned not to wait until I'm out of anything to check if the shipment came in on time. I still have a little left to get me by until early next week if necessary. My last few vials were all samples, it has taken that long to cut through Lilly's red tape (and I've been receiving their insulin for years now).

I'm very thankful for the county clinic since I live in a state where we make too much to receive any government medical assistance (and our income is near the poverty level since we receive my husband's disability check). I have been very pleased with the doctors, nurses, and office staff there. However, as with most (all?) such places... you do a lot of waiting and you get used to lapses in communication which requires many additional trips (forget trying to call).

On one hand, I don't want to say living with no cash is easy (as I've mentioned before, due to medical bills all of our small income is spoken for when it arrives each month). Hubby works for a couple weeks at the beginning and end of each semester at the bookstore and has been doing some handy man jobs. His disability is bipolar disease, which affects his thinking and he gets confused at times... but he is physically strong and brave to an extreme. He made money a couple times this month by getting on top of rather high roofs and cleaning out the gutters... shiver.

We were just talking last night about his wish that he didn't have to be on Social Security Disability and he always hoped he would eventually be able to get off of it and go back to work. However, he has become worse instead of better. Now even his memory is being affected, we don't know where that will lead. It is especially difficult for someone who had an exceptional ability to remember needed facts and could "think in numbers" as an engineer. He could often do the needed mathematical formulations in his head instead of using the calculator.

However, it has been remarkable to see God at work in our lives. We have had miraculous provision that goes far beyond coincidence. For some reason, God has allowed us to continue in very difficult circumstances but He has also shown us His Presence as we walk on that path.

When I start to feel sorry for myself, I think of the Christians who are in prison for their faith in other countries. I have never been called upon to suffer to that extreme.

It would be such a terrible thing if I chose only to thank God when everything is going right. Instead, the journey has taught me to look for God in the everyday (as well as the miraculous) and to thank Him for it all... even drug companies who eventually get past their bureaucracy and send me free insulin. :)

I also thank Him for blog friends who encourage me. Thank you!