Today I saw my former landlords at a local fast food restaurant. It was nice, because it gave us a chance to talk while we ate. They are the most amazing people. I have always been in awe of their positive attitude when faced with adversity. Bob is a walking miracle and I have never known Kathy to have anything but a smile and willingness to help.
(Moving Day July 2004)
While we talked, Bob told me how our experience with the insurance company had blessed his life. They have recently had a disaster at their home and when the insurance company stated that they would send someone to evaluate the cost of repair, Bob remembered how our experience with someone not familiar with dealing with the total loss of a home caused us a lot of unnecessary heartache and time wasted. With that thought in mind, he requested that whomever the insurance sent to evaluate their claim be certified to deal with their specific issue. He said that a few days went by without word from the company. When they called, he was told to find a contractor that specialized in the repairs he needed and submit the estimate for payment within the policy limits. He felt that learning from our experience helped save him a lot of aggravation.
He said he wondered how many others have been helped by our experience. I know that after meeting with us and our local insurance agent, the company is looking at better ways to handle claims similar to ours. It is nice to imagine that our experience might help others in the same situation not feel victimized a second time as they work to rebuild.
As always, Bob had a kind word for our children. He reminded them that it was because he and Kathy had been so impressed with their behavior that they had agreed to rent to us originally. At the time they had only been interested in selling the home, but after meeting with us, they decided to risk renting one more time. Thank goodness it was a good day. That was seven years ago and I am so grateful for the friendship that we have developed.
(Our children in 2004)
All this made me think how often a casual comment from someone has changed the way I
look at life or the way I do things.
An inside family joke springs most readily to mind - Rick was dared to ask me out. (Since this is my blog, I can tell the story my way. If he wants to recant, he can write his own blog.) Rick and I were both working at Valley Nursery in Ogden (Uintah). I guess I had developed a reputation that I would only date young men who would be able to marry in the LDS Temple. Rick was just finished with his freshman year at BYU and was preparing to serve a two-year mission for the LDS church. This led some of the other employees to dare him to ask me out to see if I would go with him since I hadn't dated anyone else. He told me later that he had been trying to decide if he should ask me out or my friend who was also a cashier. Always up to a challenge, the dare was enough to tip the scales in my favor. Good thing, because if he had asked Amy out first, I would have never gone out with him.
Another example is our decision to live in La Verkin. I can honestly say this was 90% my choice. My whole life, I had known that Doris Poll Gubler had married and moved to La Verkin. Every summer when my family would come to Southern Utah for vacation, my parents would comment on this fact. I just knew that if someone as glamorous as Doris had moved here, then it must be an incredibly special place. And now after living here for seven years, I can say unequivocally that La Verkin IS an incredibly special place with the some of the most wonderful people I have ever met.
I am sure there are many other things that have been said to me either deliberately or in casual conversation that have influenced my choices. To all those good people who have had an impact on my life, I say thank you.
