Unexpected Blessing

Sometimes when we get an unexpected phone call, the news is very unpleasant, such as when the police called to inform me of my brother's passing in March 2019. Yesterday I had an unexpected conversation with an investigator from the Pennsylvania Insurance Department. It was unexpected because we had filed a case with them in November 2021 and hadn't heard anything from them since 2022. It turns out that another resident of Pennsylvania filed a complaint against the same insurance company in 2023, and during that investigation they uncovered the fact that the insurance company wasn't licensed in the state of Pennsylvania. To avoid a felony charge, the insurance company opted to reimburse the other customer. The investigator then remembered he had received another complaint previously (mine). He said if we submit documentation from the hospital showing what we paid, they will tell the insurance company they have to reimburse us if they want to avoid prosecution. He fully expects that we will be reimbursed! I thought that God's answer to our prayers in 2021/22 had been "no," but it turns out His answer was wait. I never thought we'd get the money back even though I knew their lies were the reason we had to pay such a large bill. We are so thankful that it seems like we will be getting our money back as we paid almost $20K for my ankle surgery! 

Here are some other things I am grateful for today:

1. We hosted two game days at our home for homeschoolers this month. The kids played Wits and Wagers, Outburst, Spontuneous, Battleship, Apples to Apples, etc. 

2. I've been participating in a Bible study at a friend's house one night a week. We've met three times so far. I've also been discussing another Bible study with my sister over the phone. 

3. Nadia and Ian babysat for a small group study at their youth pastor's home once, and they will be doing so again next Monday.

4. Paul and I enjoyed watching season 4 of All Creatures Great and Small together via the PBS app.

5. The kids all had private ice-skating lessons from 2:00-3:30 on Sunday. Paul ice skated with Oliver once earlier this month and with all three kids on Sunday afternoon. They are all having a second lesson tomorrow. A third (and final) lesson has been scheduled for February 11. 

6. Nadia and Ian are enjoying participating in rehearsals for MCS's spring musical - Seussical. 

7. My dad made it safely down to Florida. 

8. We are dog sitting a thirteen-year-old dog for three weeks. He had a stroke last week before his family left on vacation. Thankfully it seems like he's mostly recovered. The first night at our home went very badly. All of us got very little sleep due to all the noise he made, and he marked a lot of territory in our home (carpet, couch, walls, and drapes). Thankfully it's going much better now. 

9. Ian continues to spend a lot of time practicing the piano almost every day. We recently made the change from 30 to 45-minute lessons. For his (early) Valentine's Day gift this year I got him a new book of piano music.

10. Paul, Oliver, and Nadia have really been enjoying doing jigsaw puzzles lately. I bought them each a 1,000-piece puzzle for Valentine's Day - a tank puzzle for Paul, a dog puzzle for Nadia, and a Lord of the Rings puzzle for Oliver.

11. For years I've had the goal to drink more water on a regular basis. I recently got myself a new water bottle, and I think this is going to help me achieve my goal to drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. 

12. I (and then we) had dental insurance for about 30 years. We lost our coverage when Paul sold the company at the beginning of August. The bills for getting our teeth cleaned was much higher than I was anticipating. I also was shocked at how much it cost to have two of Ian's teeth extracted in December. So, I signed up for a dental insurance plan for our family earlier this month. I am confident we will save a lot of money over the course of the year. I had my teeth cleaned this week, and Oliver had two teeth extracted. The extractions will cost more than we paid under the dental insurance we used to have, but they also cost a lot less than what I paid without any insurance.