Thursday, October 14, 2010

gratitude

I typed this word in the title line:  gratitude.  I didn't know what I wanted to say beyond that.  Just then my phone rang.  It was my sister.  She and her husband own an electrician business and have 3 kids.  They are both hard workers.  Their business was incredibly successful in the years leading up to 2008.  They bought a really nice house in the town they love, where their kids go to school, where their friends live, where there was lots of electric work to do.  They had employees and more work than they knew what to do with.  It was Western Colorado and it was a construction boom.  Things were really good.  They moved into a neighborhood where most of the other neighbors were in construction of some kind too.  Then the crash.  In a nearby town new construction permit requests went from more than a thousand to just 3.  Yes, just 3.  All the construction contractors were in trouble.

Today every third house or more in my sister's neighborhood is for sale.  And not selling.  And these are nice houses.  It's a beautiful neighborhood.  The views of far off mesas are amazing.  In the past two years my sister and her husband have used up all of their savings.  They have had to let their employees go.  They have done everything they could possibly think of to get work or spend less.  They have tried to get jobs with other electrical companies, but no work was to be had.  They told their kids on Labor Day of this year that they were going to have to let the house go and rent a place to live.  The kids were devastated, so they decided to try to hang on just a little longer.  They have a little work, but not enough to make ends meet with that big mortgage.

Today my sister called me and she was elated.  They had applied for a loan modification program that the Obama administration has started.  They got approval for a three month trial period that will cut their mortgage payments by almost a thousand dollars.  If they are successful making the payments during the trial period, they will get a permanent loan modification.  Then she said they'd filed their taxes, which they had been putting off doing because they were afraid they'd owe too much and not be able to pay.  But instead of owing they got a hefty return and it will let them make their new payment for months!

This morning I have gratitude that my sister and her family can stay in their home and breathe just a little easier about money.

The sky is blue outside.  The leaves are bright orange and yellow.  I am going to get ready for work now, with gratitude in my heart that I have good work to do.

And I think I'll write a thank you letter to the folks who came up with this loan modification plan.  If you know anyone who is in similar circumstances with respect to their home, please share this story.  And I'll find out the name of the program and post it in a comment soon.

May you be well.  May you be happy.  May you be free from harm.

May you be healthy, wealthy, & wise.

breathe.  love.  play.....   smile.  work well.  be well.

xoxo
~d

1 comment:

  1. Finally, a good story regarding a loan mod. First one I've heard. Praise the Lord!

    ReplyDelete