Good outcomes take time, Victoria, Mama’s conference

A couple months ago, I got billing statements from our primary care doctor that were exorbitant. Mine reflected a balance of over $1500. Mama’s statement was a bit lower at $1350. I had Mama check with the doctor’s office, and we were sent to the company compiling the statements. A couple weeks later I got drastically reduced summaries for both me and Mama, but the combined total was still over $1500. Yesterday I called the company sending out the statements to see if what I had in my hands was the final amount I needed to pay our doctor. The last thing I want is to have the bill referred out for collection.

As I conversed with the accountant at that office, I found out that the issue – as is typically the case – had to do more with the billing practices of the doctor’s office than with the accounting agency compiling the bill.  As it turned out, the accountant was in the final stage of accruing the payments from insurance, tallying the markdowns that insurance required for certain procedures, and the final amounts were to be forthcoming. So, after a few minutes of manipulating the numbers, I will owe the doctor $25 for my portion of the bill that spans the entire calendar year 2021. Mama has no balance due for last year. That was great news even though it was a long time in coming.

I suppose the longer look ahead is a practice we have used in many areas here on our little farm. Calculating breeding times based on five to six months delay in the outcomes of those contacts. Setting up for Winter in the Fall and starting seeds growing in the sunroom mid-Winter that will grow into plants to be transplanted into the garden a couple months from now. Pruning the fruit trees in the Winter to promote higher yields of fruit many months later. Feeding the bees in the late Winter to ensure they have the energy and supplied foods to encourage laying eggs as early in the Spring as possible with the hope that that will give us a good honey crop in the early Summer. Months away from the anticipated outcomes we lay plans to enhance those outcomes. I like that way of living, of thinking ahead, of anticipating as much as possible how to enhance those outcomes we can manipulate albeit ever so slightly. God is in charge of the results, but He has given us wisdom to do our part to amplify those results within the course He has set in place:

Summer and winter and Springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon, and stars in their course above,

Join with all Nature in manifold witness,

To Thy great Faithfulness, Mercy and Love.

We just have a better view of that constancy here at our little farm than is available to most of our friends or family.

 

Victoria, though she is not much better, is going to work today. She was given several days off with pay due to her positive COVID test result, but that time has expired. She squeezed one more day out of the absence but is required to be at work today. Just pray she is able to quiet her cough and that she will have the strength to make it through the day. Over the past several days she has not been out of her bed very much so this will be a true test of her progress in the recovery process.

Mama is planning on attending a conference for Color Street Thursday through Saturday. It is fairly local but far enough afield for her to stay over at a hotel near the conference center. Her Color Street management team will be in attendance with her. She has been looking forward to this get together for months and feels she is strong enough, recovered enough to attend. She will be driving herself to the conference so that she does not have to stay over through Sunday afternoon. At this conference the new compensation plan will be explained so that that information can be shared downline to all stylists. I am very hopeful that this will be a game changer for some of Mama’s prospects that have been enamored by seemingly larger payouts by other multi-level marketers. I still am very impressed with Color Street. I am impressed with the leader of the company setting up all operations, and all suppliers within the United States.

The other online sales companies competing with Mama’s prospects cannot offer made-in-America products. That counts for something with me and Mama.