One Last Effort, This Time in Prayer

For several years, since September 2005, I was the Social Security Benefits payee for my sister, who was in long-term care for over four years. She passed away in December 2009. At that time, she had been in the same facility for over two years and I had finally felt I found a place for her which I could trust. I began the process of turning Betty's monthly benefits over to them because I was fast approaching age 70 at that point, and felt it was wise.

Her passing happened so fast, benefits-wise. Suddenly, the final payments went to my bank, as usual, and were then yanked back out, because of the confusion over who should receive the final payment(s).

I wrote. I called. I visited the local office. I called the 800-number yet again. Finally, I received a letter asking for proof that I was her sister. They asked for more documentation than they had back in 2005, when they began sending me her checks for her care. I managed to get a certified copy of my birth certificate (which does not, these days, show my mother's name or my father's name - go figure). However, I have lost all the early (2005) documentation because that ended up in a storage unit which I could not pay last year and it was sold and there is no way to know where on earth those papers are at this point. They also want proof of why my name changed (marriage, divorce, etc.) which would mean several months of letters and forms and fees.

I am making one last effort this week. I'm explaining, by letter, that because Social Security obviously felt that I had all the documentation back in 2005, sufficient for them to send me, monthly, for over four years, a check for her care, that this should be enough for them. I am, and have been, at the same address all that time. I am the same person, me, her sister. Of course, this is logical and perhaps that is asking too much (sigh).

The one thing I am doing differently this time, my last effort, is to pray about it. I will accept whatever the Lord decides, according to his long-term plans for me.

Dear Father God, I am putting this worry in your hands, knowing that you will work on it immediately for me, and that whatever happens, it will be according to your will. I will accept whatever the outcome is this time, knowing of your love for me. Thank you.