Hassles of Living Between Two Places

Hassle: aggravation, annoyance, bother, disruption, frustration, inconvenience, stressor

In February, as I hurried to clean out our huge office desk we were about to sell, the organized me hung folders in a portable file cabinet, packed away envelopes, staples, paper clips, and misplaced securely hid our boxes of checks. I don’t know how many years I stored the checks in the same desk drawer along with a file system for bill paying. Now, the desk was sold…taken away…and my system was scattered among several boxes.

 

In the days and weeks to follow, I searched high and low for the checks. I unpacked cartons marked “office.” Prayed frequently and asked others to pray for me to find them. (Yes, I know most bills can be paid online…but I’m a product of old school check writing and reconciliation.)

Praise the Lord. Our sweet hometown bank readily printed our account number on a dozen or so counter checks.

The desktop computer with Quicken installed had to find a new home, and eventually be moved with us to Montana. Only, we couldn’t take the bulky PC to our new location right away.  There wasn’t room for it to go along with our survival kit for temporary apartment living. So, off we drove—900 miles with a plastic file cabinet with minimal bill-paying folders, and the now precious counter checks. So, bill paying continued using counter checks but without my Quicken record keeper.

Praise the Lord. My husband’s relocation upfront money kept us financially drowning. Only by His grace of provision, we haven’t had a single overdraft.

When we returned to Nebraska for an unexpected family funeral, we made a list of things we could bring back with us—including the desktop PC. Except, what we didn’t plan for my extended stay. Thinking I would at the Nebraska house alone to pack until my husband returned the following week, I waved good-bye to my husband and the PC.

Praise the Lord. For whatever reason beyond my understanding, I carried my bill-paying folders and those precious counter checks with me, so bill paying would be no problem for two weeks.

However, my two-week extended stay turned into four. The forwarded mail, my files with paid receipts, and Quicken on the PC all sat in Montana. My list of passwords to access online accounts hung in the plastic file cabinet sitting in the apartment.

“My God will use his wonderful riches in Christ Jesus to give you everything you need.” Philippians 4:19 (ncv)

Praise the Lord. I had my laptop. I had the few counter checks. My husband conveyed information to me as the bills arrived in the mail. He found my password file and via emails, cell phones, text messages, and some online access, I’ve kept the bills paid.

PRAISE THE LORD.  As I have been able to sort and pack the remainder of the office…and I found the boxes of checks! Of course, the address on them is pretty much obsolete…but they’ll still work to pay the bills until we get settled in our Montana home.