Like a Dog With a Bone

No one would ever accuse my husband of being a giver-upper.

He is persistent and diligent...about pretty much everything.

It can be a little annoying.

I'M JUST KIDDING.

Just last Monday, he rolled our recycling bin to the curb before he went to work. For whatever reason, it was still there when he came home. FULL.

And it was there every day after that.

Everyone else in our neighborhood...for as far as you could see on either side of us...put their recycling cans back in their garages on Monday night, after it became apparent that the truck was not going to run. Not us. The cheese stands alone. We've had that thing sitting at the end of our driveway...dodging it with our vehicles...for 7 days.

S-E-V-E-N.

Oh, I realize that, at about Day 3, it had gone from being a symbol of persistence and diligence...to just plain, ol' PROVING A POINT.

And today, a full week later, they finally came back and picked up the recycling...and we put the recycling can back in the garage.

I love this quality about Jim. He doesn't mind doing the hard work, figuring things out, holding others accountable. It can be frustrating at times (for me), but he definitely balances me.

We have been fighting with our insurance company for over a year...over a roof we had to replace at our old house before we moved. We actually have two insurance companies fighting about it. We never went without coverage and our premiums were always paid, and paid on time. Both say there is hail damage but both say it's the other one's responsibility to reimburse us. We ended up paying for the entire thing, because the sale of our home was contingent on the new roof. We want our money back...I mean, that's why you have insurance in the first place, am I right?

Well, Jim has talked to people and followed all of the appropriate steps. They recommended that he file a complaint with the insurance commission in our state, and he did. He's done everything they've asked him to do. On Wednesday, he goes to a mediation hearing. It's the last step before legal action, and I'm telling you...Jim is not above hiring a lawyer if that's what it takes. We've never done anything like this before, but we're talking about a lot of money.

Jim is like a dog with a bone. I'm really proud of him. I would've given up a long time ago, because they have certainly made things difficult. I think that's what some big companies hope...that they will make everything so hard and ask you to jump through so many hoops...most people would get frustrated and give up and move on.

I hope our kids will develop this quality in their lives. It's hard, and I haven't been very good at it myself...except when it has involved them or their care. But in this life, there are many things we need to figure out and have to WORK AT to figure out...and there are some things that are worth fighting for.

I'm just glad the recycling can is back in the garage. I just knew one of us was going to back into it and knock everything out into the street. And on trash day, we had the recycling can on one side of the driveway, and the trash can on the other side. It was, like, thread the needle.

I wasn't good at that in bowling, either.

"...do not grown weary of doing good." 2 Thessalonians 3:13