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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Thanksgiving (04/18/05)
Paying the bills is not my favorite pass time. In fact, I can’t imagine who enjoys watching their money disappear from their bank account for things like electricity, gas and the ever present credit card bill. It’s just not right this “cost of living.” For all I earn it feels like most of it goes to someone else. What’s the point of it all?

I got paid today. Recently I got a raise and that’s been helping quite a bit, but we were nearing the zero mark in the old checkbook when I realized today was payday. Sitting at the computer pounding out numbers I came to the startling realization that I had forgotten to put half the mortgage aside last paycheck, but if I had we’d be overdrawn right now. Its okay I can make up for it with this paycheck.

The frustration level increases as I run through the numbers twice to make sure I’m getting everything. It’s really not as a bad as I thought. I turned to my wife and asked her, “Can we live on $250 for 2 weeks?” I get another pay check in two weeks.

“I guess we’ll have to,” she said nonchalantly peering over the top of her book.

Her lack of worry made me reconsider the number. Maybe it’s not so bad. It sure didn’t seem like much and it meant watching pennies for the next 14 days and not going out to dinner. We like to go out to dinner.

As I started entering the numbers into our online bill paying system (at least I’m saving on stamps) the phone rings. It’s a friend of mine calling about this weekend. We’re supposed to get together and he’s calling to confirm. It’s also late in the evening and the kids are in bed and frankly I should be too.

“I’m not interrupting anything am I?”

“No, I’m just paying bills.”

“Ah, the love of your life, right? Can’t wait to get to those bills,” he said with a chuckle.

I’ve often wondered what the trigger is to a memory because one suddenly came to mind. There was a time when things were so tight, work was so sporadic that bills would come due and there was no money. I would look in the checkbook and it would laugh at me. I’d blow the cobwebs out of my wallet and the spiders living there would get mad. So hear I am paying the bills, all of them, and there’s money left over. $250 may not be much, but we don’t need much and frankly I paid bills that I normally wouldn’t pay until next pay check.

“We’re ahead,” the thought hits me like someone turning on a light.

My friend proceeds to tell me that he meant to call last night, but he forgot. He called tonight, while I was paying the bills and unknown to him reminded me of how God has blessed me and my family. He reminded me that God forgives me for what I forget.
I’m thankful for His gentle reminders. I’m thankful for the blessings. I’m thankful now when I pay my bills because I can pay them.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Amy Michelle Wiley 
04/26/05
Thaks for the good reminder! :-)
Carol Dee Meeks
04/26/05
nice write on a subject we all have but wish we did not...even with that, we are to be thankful. Good message.
donna robinson
04/28/05
I loved the style of this piece. The reader was sitting right there with you crunching numbers. And yes, didn't I nod my head when you talked of times when shaking the cobwebs out of the wallet just made the spiders mad?! It reminded me of the time I thought we finally had a little extra only to have the car go out and yep, the repair was the extra! I was feeling pretty down when my husband who isn't even a christian, just shrugged and said, "it could be worse, what if we didn't have that extra?" Talk about putting my faith to shame! It isn't always easy to write in first person and you captured the idea beautifully.
Val Clark
04/30/05
this slice of life story had a great hook. Everyone's paid a bill! Were were right into the story with no unecessary preamble. I loved the idea of checkbook laughing at you! The end was good. Just wath out for little typos one its needed an apostrophe. You change tense when the 'phone rings' and a comma between nochalantly and peering would make better sense. Loved nochalantly. Really saw the action. Well done.