Blessings

Sometimes, we often wonder where the blessing is in the bad things that happen in our lives. Where is the blessing of watching a child fight cancer? Where is the blessing of not being able to communicate with your mom because a disease has taken away her ability to speak? Where is the blessing in watching a family member destroy their family through a divorce or alcoholism? Where is the blessing in watching as my husband and other family members slowly deteriorate before my eyes?  Where is the blessing in saying goodbye to a friend that was taken from us way to soon? I don't see it.

Enter Laura Story's song "Blessings" to remind us of the answers to these questions. 

Laura Story wrote this song as she struggled to understand why the man she so very recently married was stricken with a brain tumor. It was a long and painful road of surgeries, near death and a man that forgot he was married to her at times.  She prayed for healing daily and for understanding why this was happening.  It inspired her to write a song that has become a huge blessing to me and countless others. The chorus of the song speaks volumes about why we often have to face certain things...

What if Your blessings came through raindrops?

What if Your healing comes through tears?

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know Your near?

What if the trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

God even wrote an entire book in the Bible about this very thing.  Job was an upright man of God.  He lead a life faithful to the Lord.  Yet, he had it all taken away from him. And he cried, and he questioned God.  In the end, he realized that God used this to bring Job closer to Him and allow Job to see even more clearly amidst the tears.

What if the trials of this life, the rain, the storms, the hardest nights are your mercies in disguise?

Simple words that speak volumes. And a powerful reminder that sometimes God will use something that does brings us discomfort of pain to draw us closer to Him and reminds us of his unending love and the strength that we can find in His arms.

I know the road ahead of us will often be filled with pain and turmoil.  I know that at times I will lose sleep and cry out in anger.  But, I also know that God is with me and will walk alongside me as Robert continues to battle this disease that neither one of chose for him.  However, God has started us on this journey for reasons we may not yet see or understand.  But, He knows what it is and He will use this for His ultimate purpose of our lives.

Here is a link to a video from YouTube of this song.  I pray it blesses you as much as it has blessed me. 

Laura Story's Blessings

Is a Lawyer The Way to Go?

We have received the second denal letter from Social Security telling us that they have denied Bill's request for benefits.  Something about not showing signs of the disease.  Must be the whole misunderstanding that the Social Security Administration has about the disease, but that was another blog...
So, we have filed an appeal yet again.  This time, it is the request for a hearing.  Basically, the case goes before a judge and he will decide Bill's fate. When the hearing will take place is anyone's guess. Current backlog is averaging about 364 days, according the Social Security Administration website.  I sure hope it does not take that long.
The decision we have been wrestling with in this appeals process is if we should get a lawyer for him to appear at the hearing. SSA even provides a list of lawyers to contact if interested. And they are free of charge if you don't win a settlement.  Sounds like a good deal.  A lawyer will take the lesser of 25% or $6000 of the back pay that is awarded to the person. Back pay is usually the amount the claimant will receive each month back dated to when first filed or another date the judge decides on.  Sometimes, the judge will decide no back pay.  It is the judges opinion of when the conditions really set it that make the person disabled and unable to work.
Using the premise that Bill will get back pay from the date the first request was filed - approximately one year ago - and the estimated monthly amount we have been told he will receive of $640, the lawyer could get roughly $2000 if the claim was approved today. Then, when you factor in that the average processing time from when a hearing is requested to when the hearing takes place is approximately a year, you can pretty much double that amount.  For a person that will have to set up some sort of living arrangements and buy many of the basics that a person needs, losing that amount will not be easy for deal with. 
On the flip side, if he does not win the case, then the lawyer gets nothing. Basically, he takes the case for free. So, it does seem like a good idea, right? If we lose, we lose nothing. We have nothing less than what we started with. Plus, most lawyers will not take the case unless they are confident the judgement will be favorable for the claimant.  They aren't going to take a case that will not get them a payout of some kind.  They want to make money just like everyone else. And a lawyer will take care of making sure all the paper work is filed, all medical information is received and anything else that comes up.
So, maybe hiring a lawyer is a good idea.  It will make things a lot easier and give us an advocate that wants to win for us but also understand the laws and knows if we really have a case or not. Granted, it will cost if the settlement is won, but isn't it better to get something than nothing at all? And the consultation is free, so if the lawyer doesn't think you have a case, then he doesn't take your case on. 
Now, how to pick the lawyer... 
Actually, that part is pretty easy.  In the paperwork that is sent confirming the request for a hearing, the Social Security Administration provides you with a number to contact someone.  You are then directed to attorneys in your area.  So, we have contacted an attorney.  Now, we wait and see what he thinks and how long it takes to get the next phase of this lengthy process started.

Where Were You 10 Years Ago?

It is the question that so many people ask about significant events that happen during a lifetime. For one generation, it was where were you when Pearl Harbor was bombed. For another, where were you when you first heard about the Kennedy assassination.  So, where were you when you first heard about the terrorist attacks that happened ten years ago today?  I can remember it so clearly. Just like it happened yesterday.

I was on my way to work at American Airlines.  My brother-in-law Eddie and I were listening to 1310 the Ticket.  I could even tell you that he owned a white F-150 at that time. We were listening as the guys described the scene they were seeing on Channel 8, of this plane sticking out of the World Trade Center. At first, for a minute, I was thinking that they were talking about the World Trade Center that is in Dallas.  It took me a minute to understand they were talking about the one in New York City. Then, just as I was getting out of the truck, they described the scene as the second plane hit the second tower.  I knew then that our world was about to change.

I walked into the office. Two of my co-workers were there and I asked if they had heard.  They knew about that first plane.  I told them what I had just heard.  One of my co-workers confirmed what I was thinking.  This was a terrorist attack. No doubt about it. A few minutes later, we were walking through the office to the cafeteria for our morning ritual of filling cups with ice and grabbing our soda or coffee.  On the way there, another friend stopped us and whispered that one of our plane had hit the first tower.

Shock doesn't begin to describe they way we all felt at that news.  Surely that wasn't possible.  But, we soon learned just how possible it was and much more was to come. We were missing a second plane.  Then, an announcement that one of our flight attendants called into the security department to say that guys with box cutters had taken over the plane and nobody knew what would happen next. Unconfirmed reports of an American Airlines plane near the Pentagon were soon confirmed of having crashed there and we all began to fear the worst. 

When it was all said and done, the world as we all knew it had changed in ways than any of us could ever fathom.

Through it all, I am grateful to the many, many men and women who sacrificed their lives to try and save the lives of others.  To all of those people that  lost a friend or family member that day, I hope you can take some peace in knowing they were doing what they loved and that they will not be forgotten for the sacrifice they made.