Extreme Makeover

[Guest guest]

Terri,

I know ....I think....somewhat of how you feel. My husband and I are

" helper people " . Thats not to wave a flag and say HEY LOOK AT US, WE

HELP PEOPLE OUT!! its not.

Its just the cut of us, they way we have always been. In my senior

book, I put down as my favorite hobby, " helping my friends with their

problems " LOL

We have had more friends sleep on our couch(or floor) than I can

count, we have contacted local radio stations for gifts at holidays

for friends in bad circumstances....last yr, my 10 yr old and I used

donated material to sew dresses and things to barter with that radio

station in order to get my sister plane tickets to visit her son that

she hasnt seen in a yr, b/c she is a single mom working as a waitress,

and her son moved to AZ from MI. My husband is the type of guy who

picks up people on the rd to drive them to a gas station and then

helps them fill up the car....to buy a Big Mac for the guy standing on

the corner with a " work for food " sign.....we have organized benefits

at our kids school for a teachers son with cancer......this is normal

to us. ITs just the way we are, and the way we hope our kids will

learn to be as adults. We have never asked for anything in return, or

even thought of it.

And it seems like every time we turn around, we are getting the short

end of the stick AGAIN. I try to be patient, and learn from it, but it

hurts......seems like we can never catch a break. Sometimes we think

something special will happen, and then it falls thru. Sometimes you

think........maybe we would be better off if my husband quit his good

job and went to work at Mc'D's........then we would not be in that

limbo of just a bit too high for assistance but too broke to make it

work.

This yr, when after 3 yrs of fighting, we finally were approved for

the boys SSI, I about had a heart attack. I kept waiting for a letter

saying it was a mistake, they really didnt approve us. Then we found

out about the AC and all of that, i nearly fell apart..........I guess

you get so used to bad news, you cant figure out how to take good

news.I still go downstairs and look at all of that, and think......I

feel like I am looking at something neat in a store, not that its

really mine........cant be. And then they call me and tell me they

bought us new furniture.......I started sobbing and dropped the

phone...my poor husband thought someone died!! and picked it

up.......asking who it was, and what the heck was going on, and why

was his wife weeping in the bathroom? LOL but I just didnt know what

to do. It really is a wonderful feeling, to know people care.

Hopefully, once your story gets out, you'll get an outpouring of

love..in fact, now that we are getting the new furniture, I have a

spare couch....already gave the loveseat to it away though...if only

we lived closer!!!

My Rite Aid tech tried to get her sister on Extreme Makeover, and they

were going to do it, but then found out her sisters house was made

from bricks from a historic landmark, so they cant touch it. If she is

in tomorrow, maybe I can get the email address from her.

And you are right, Terri, we have blessings all around us. We can hold

our children, watch them splash in the bathtub, give us sloppy,

ketchuppy kisses, and read them stories. I ache for the people who

dont have that right now. Sometimes I think............I just never

thought I would be in this situation.....I never even HEARD of PID

before....and I surely never thought 3 of my kids would have it. But

then, Brennan comes up to me to show me the caterpillar he found, or

Savannah wants to show me her near perfect cartwheel, or Donovan has

built the BIGGEST LEGO TOWER EVER IN THE WORLD, and my heart swells

with that joy. Thats not something that can be bought. and so what if

the movies we rent are the free kind from the library? and so what if

we have a picnic instead of a gourmet restuarant meal? we are

together, and our kids know they are loved and cared for.

NOw, I am the one babbling, but its 2 a.m. and I cant sleep for the

life of me!!

Not to be nosey, but have you tried applying for SSI? It took us 3

tries, hiring a legal rep(who waved his upfront fees) and two yrs

waiting for a court date, but it sure has been worth it.

Valarie