I had to put this photo up for theThursday Challenge this week. The challenge is "Red"

Shortly after I took this picture on my very hard fought for vacation out to Arizona last year, everything seemed to "fall apart" by worldly standards. A lot of you were there through it all. The Hub losing his job, me losing my job. Even though The Hub started a business that was successful right away and that he loves, and my business is slowly, but surely getting it's legs, I always looked at the photos from that trip wistfully. I thought of that time as being "the last of the good times" in that while we were worried about money and the future, in the days since then worry about money, security, insurance, etc was taken to a whole new level and sacrifices that would have at one time been unthinkable ( like dipping into retirement accounts) became matter of fact.....

Our friend Jenne once said that "something isn't really a problem if money is all that is needed to solve it". And we knew she was right, and besides, even in the most difficult times The Lord provided everything we needed and some of the things we wanted. And some of the stuff we don't have ( such as television) it turns out we didn't really need and now we don't even want! But, when The Hub got sick recently, we knew our friend was right not just intellectually - we knew it in our hearts.

I cared nothing for anything the whole time The Hub was in the hospital. We did get his blood test back - everything is fine. No cancer markers. No Return of the Thing. The hospital called to discuss his bill. I didn't even ask how much it was, I was so giddy with happiness that he was well.

"Yes, I'll set up a payment plan. Yes, I'm willing to apply for assistance." ( and no, I don't care that you're sneering through the word "charity" at me. you go ahead and feel superior all you want, honey. If it makes your day to sneer at me, go right ahead. doesn't bother me or cost me a dime)

Now I know that those days in Arizona, while the countryside was beautiful and I'd like to go back one day, were not really better days. We spent much of the time talking about what to do about the jobs we hated. The Hub was so stressed he could hardly see what was in front of him at the time. If he had stayed on that path he would surely have had much more serious health problems.

And cancer or a heart attack won't take payment plans. They show up whenever they want, and take payment in full on their terms.

I always knew that "nothing is worth more than this day". I always say "Tomorrow is not promised to anybody" - those of you who know me personally hear me say it. But if it's this much of a revelation to me, who lives by those words, that there IS no better day than the day we're in, how much more is it important to get the word out to those of you who might be on what The Hub calls "The 30 Year Mortgage Plan". By that he means his own mindset before he first got cancer, wherein, as he said, "I did all the right things. I went to college got a good job with a title and an office, got a house with a nice yard, was savin' up for a nicer house with a nicer yard....gonna get a better vehicle, gonna go to work and hate it every day, live for the weekends, put everything off till retirement when I was going to work with my hands every day. Gonna be paid in full, and thank you for your business, have credit cards comin' in the mail, all the respect of my neighbors, no friends, but my father thought I was doin' the right things, cause this is what he did." Then as he said, "Somebody came along and said, you might live to retire, but just as likely you might not. And from then on I questioned everything."

The Hub spend 10 more years in the corporate world after he started to ask those questions. Circumstances, as much as guts brought us to where we are today. It isn't like we decided to throw everything away for the lifestyle of the American Dreamin' Small BusinessPeople. More like, everything fell away from us and our best bet for helping hand was at the bottom of our arms. But, what I'm saying is, that now that I know he is going to be well, at least today, I'm happy with everything I have - my dying computer, my cute little digital camera, the phone that rings and my breath and voice to talk to the bill collector on the other end of it. I got great bargains at the Goodwill, I'm learning how to sell stuff on e-bay. We have customers and now a lot of our customers are also friends.

I know most of you DO count your blessings. But count 'em twice today, and celebrate with me The Hub's return to health.