Thank You Friends/Not-So-Dear Anonymous

I'm blown away by the offers of help I have received regarding our school clothing/school supply situation. I have gotten so many offers of help from friends I hardly know. I am speechless. Everyone has made such good suggestions or made generous offers of help to us. I've even had quite a few friends make suggestions as to what we could try as far as transportation goes. I'm just blown away. I know I've already said that, but it's really all I know to say. It's really been a blessing to meet all of you who care about my family with open hearts and open minds. I'm so lucky to have all of you as my friend. Please know that when I wrote those posts, venting my stress and frustrations, I had NO IDEA that you all would take the stress and ramblings of a worried momma and offer up so many prayers and kind hearted comments. I had hoped...wished really, for a few extra prayers, aside from my own, to be offered up to God's ears. I had hoped for some of you to join me in prayer for my struggles and stress. Mostly, I just hoped for someone to listen, to hear my worries and maybe offer a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen. Someone to tell me that I am not a failure to my girls and that I am not alone. I got that and so much more. I WAS NOT soliciting money or an easy way out. Really.

I am pointing this out because I got a comment from my not-so-good friend anonymous. They drop in from time to time. You know, to make sure that I am as miserable as they seem to be. This time, a small part of what anonymous says, "Looks like all you want is someone to give you an EZ way out and save you from spending a few $$ on the kid so that you can afford to buy a car. They are a lot of people who really are in need. Shame on you." Thank you anonymous. I'm glad you see me so clearly. I'm sure that my other friends are glad to have that pointed out to them also. Now they know your version of the true story. Can you point out to me, where in any of my posts have I asked for anyone to offer to buy, send, or donate anything in the effort to save a few $$ (as you put it) so that I may buy a car? If you can show me where I was soliciting donations, I'll gladly delete my blog posts and close up this little "scheme" at once. I'm sorry that my inability to provide for my family has ruffled your feathers. In deed, I should be ashamed. I never realized that asking for a shoulder to lean on or an ear to bend would result in an act of solicitation. Please forgive me if any of you have felt that I am trying to lean on your sympathy and extract favors from you for my own personal gain. I assure you, that was not my intention at all. Believe me, if I had any money, I would gladly buy the things my girls need BEFORE trying to buy a car. The cost of school supplies/clothing is small compared to the money I need to secure a down payment on a new-used car. It would certainly be easier to come up with a small amount for school stuff than it would be to come up with a large amount for a car.
Maybe that's what I was doing last month- saving my money for a car instead of paying my electric bill. You know, last month, when I still had no idea that my car was going to be taken by the bank. Last month when I woke up to a knock on the door. Last month, when I answered that knock to find the electric company handing me a shut-off notice. Last month, when I stood on the porch, still in my nightgown, crying and begging the man to give me just until payday. Just one more day until Friday. While he shut off our electricity anyway and told me to have a nice day. Maybe I was squirrelling away our money, taking from our children, so that I can have a new car. Maybe that's been my motivation for everything! Take from my child(ren)-yes that's children, not kid, as you put it, but children-plural (as in more than one) because I have 3 children to provide for. Add my husband and I and that equals 5 mouths to feed. We're doing the best we can with what we have. We're struggling, but we weren't always. Not that it's any of your business Mr./Ms. Anonymous. We were doing pretty good until last summer, until the surgeries and the 8 months off work with little to no income coming in. We had savings and a good car and NO HEALTH INSURANCE. Fast forward 1 year, one heart surgery, chiari decompression and suboccipital laminectomy ( I can see those words in my nightmares!), one LONG ICU and CCU stay and a horrible amount of time in the hospital with our Laneybug, and what have you come up with? I'll tell you, Anonymous, WE came up with $291,000 of medical debt with our names on the billing address. Not that it's any of YOUR business. This is the last time I'll bother trying to explain this to you Anonymous, the last time you will get to me with your narrow-minded way of thinking. Insult me, or my intentions as you wish. But DO NOT insinuate that I care more for myself than my children. You don't know me well enough to make that kind of assumption. Stop visiting my blog if you don't like my ways. Keep your opinions to yourself. I don't really care too much about reading anymore of them anyway. End of subject, case closed.

Thank you, to Tim who offered to go through Taylor's closet for some gently used clothes for the girls. I appreciate the offer and am sorry that it didn't work out. Taylor and my girls are in the same size, but your offer was kind and your heart was in the right place. I'm glad to know you and be your friend.

Thank you to Jackie, my sister in Christ, whom I only just met through a comment when she happened upon my blog. Your offer of school supplies was VERY generous, and I am grateful to meet such a kind-hearted friend. I hope we remain in contact. My world is a brighter place because of people like you. I am also glad that your church family will be getting the school supply help that you so kindly offered to me. As I said before, I would have felt horrible taking from your community when so many others are far worse off than we are. I'm so glad that your church is there to offer them the help they need. Your heart, too, was in the right place. I am also glad that the children's backpacks from last year are in good shape. I would have hated to take advantage of your generosity. Bless you Jackie for your kind heart!

Thank you Verna for your offer of searching thrift stores and rummage sales for my girls to have something to wear to school on those first few days back. I'm sorry if I sounded horrible in my email to you. I really just feel horrible accepting help from someone who hardly knows me. As I said in my email, I really appreciate the offer to help, but I really hate the idea of troubling you. I'm sure we can figure something out eventually. Times will not always be this rough. Out Lord will provide. I still have my faith.

Thank you Vicky and everyone else (too many to name without turning this into a novel) for offering advice and an ear to listen. I am so glad to be friends with such fine, kind people!

I will try to post on lighter, happier topics in the future. From now on, all I will solicit is your smiles and maybe a bit of laughter now and then. Blessing dear friends! Have a glorious day!
I'll be back later with some pictures of my beautiful girls. Remember, I HAVE been playing with my sister's Canon rebel for a week now, and I'm just bursting to show you the results of my temporary trade.