My poor car...

Last Saturday (the Saturday before Thanksgiving) I had just gotten in the shower when the hubby called to tell me he had been in an accident. He was coming to a stop at a red light when a lady in a Dodge Charger backed up from a pawn shop parking lot into him. He got out to talk to her only to discover she didn't speak much English (or pretended not to.) I told him to call the police and tell them to send out someone who spoke Spanish to interpret for them. For whatever reason, he chose no to do this but a man working inside the pawn shop was able to translate. The woman claimed that hubby had hit her but just wanted to exchange information so she could be on her way. The pawn shop worker was kind enough to make copies of her driver's license and insurance for hubby and we then spent the entire weekend trying to get a hold of her company.

So hubby gets home and I see the damage to my fender. He tells me he didn't call the police and shows me the copy of her info and I get a little worried. Her license is an out-of-state one and her insurance is from a company I have never heard of. I was afraid she was going to be an illegal with fake papers. I know that is a terrible conclusion to come to but that was my first thought. We did find out that her insurance is real and they just happen to be closed on weekends. So on Monday the hubby keeps trying to call. In the mean time I get an email from our insurance company saying a claim had been started. Great...she is obviously trying to blame hubby. He hears from her company and starts a claim. Turns out I was right and it wasn't even her that started the claim but her parents. My husband calls our insurance that night and tells them his side of the story. They ask him to take it immediately to an adjustor nearby. When he returns he tells me that the adjustor said there is no way it could have been his fault. The next day her insurance calls him informing him that their client's side of the story is opposite of his. As my husband points out, how can I have side damage and she have back bumper damage if I hit her? After this I am upset so I call my insurance company to find out what happens next since we are both claiming opposite stories. The adjustor explains to me how that Eric is not at fault based on the damage but that first they have to inspect her car since there isn't a photo of it. I said we do have one and she tells me how to send it to them. She then walks me through the steps of what will be happening next as they work with the lady's insurance company to get our car fixed. I feel so relieved and am so thankful for a company that will take the time to answer my questions and explain to me the process. The next morning our adjustor (not the previous one I spoke to but the one assigned to our claim) calls hubby and tells him that they have indeed decided he is not at fault and they will be fighting her insurance company for repairs. I don't know what is going to happen next but I hope that after the other insurance is presented with the evidence that they realize it had to be her fault and they step up and get my car fixed. The estimate we got is $1500+ to repair and part of that is because I have two-tone paint which is extra. My car will take a minimum of 4 days to repair and I also hope that her insurance will provide a rental. Otherwise I will have to borrow one of my parent's cars and I would rather that be a last resort.

I know a car is just a car and I am so thankful that the hubby wasn't hurt. The car is fixable and it will just be a minor inconvenience. What aggravates me is that this woman took no personal responsibility and tried to blame my husband for something he did not do and had no control over. Hubby has been in two wrecks where he was at fault and he immediately took responsibility for his actions (and we are paying higher premiums for it, I might add!) Had he been at fault he would have admitted it and we would be on our way to having her car fixed and paying more higher premiums. However, we believe that is what you should do. Take responsibility and also take the consequences for your actions. It seems that less and less people are taking responsibility for themselves and everyone is always playing the blame game. Maybe if we would all just be a little more responsible and a little more willing to suffer the consequences things in this country would turn around. My words of wisdom for today: Every action has a consequence. Choose actions that will result in good consequences but be honest and own up to your actions even if it will result in bad!

Awards & Rainbows

Yesterday was the 4th Annual St. Matthew United Methodist Church Monk Awards. It is a big deal at my church and I think it is a pretty cool event. The church has awards commissioned through a local artist and they are exquisite! We liken it to the Oscars so dressing up and buying fun, new accessories for this special occasion was exciting (at least for me - I got new shoes, a decorative hair barrette and earrings!) There are three nominees for each category and once you win you cannot win again - unless you are given the Lifetime Achievement Award. I think it is a neat way for the church (and all of us) to show appreciation for the others in our church family who help our church run smoothly! Eric and I were nominated for the Come Unto Me Award which is given to those who volunteer within the Children's Ministries. We teach the 6 & 7 year old class and all I know is that I am learning as much from the kiddos as I hope they are learning from us! They are so smart and inquisitive and even though they are sometimes rowdy (we have only one girl who comes regularly so the 5 to 7 boys can get quite excited!) they are always thinking things through and coming up with the right answer! And, also, being mostly boys they are extremely competitive which sometimes leads to Miss Valarie saying raise your hands to answer the next one! LOL! Anyway, back to the Monk Awards - the minute I heard the other nominees I knew that we would lose out to one of our worthy co-nominees and she deserved it as well! She teaches the youngest Sunday School class and is very good at it! She has been teaching for a long time and I would have to say she is one of my mentors. When I have a problem with how to approach something she is very helpful. I was so happy for her! All the winners (and nominees and EVERYONE in the church) are amazing and I am so proud to be part of the St. Matthew Family! And what is an awards ceremony without a Gala afterwards?!? It was wonderful to sit and have fellowship with my church family after such a joyous occasion!

Now on to rainbows. As I was getting ready I could tell through the window that it was sunny outside. So imagine my surprise when I realized my windows on my car were wet and I was getting sprinkled on. I turned to look at the clouds only to find the brightest, most beautiful rainbow I have ever seen looking as if it were sent to sit just over my house! Isn't it amazing what God can do with some light and some rain drops?!? I have been under some stress and praying about some things and that rainbow reminded me of God's awesome splendor and I know that everything will be okay even if is not necessarily the way I want it to be! Do I think that rainbow was sent just for me? Yes and no. I believe that God sent that rainbow this morning for many people who needed a reminder of his awesomeness but I think I was one of those people. And that my friends is having faith in God's plan for our lives!

What signs have you received that have given you peace? Feel free to share in the comments section!

Lord, I want to thank you for the church family you sent Eric and I to. We know that they will be there for us anytime and I hope they know we will be there for them! I praise your name for them! And Lord thank you for reminders of your awesome glory!
In Jesus name, Amen!