A Gift That Left Me Speechless... :O

Imagine it, me...at a loss for words... Just unnatural, isn't it? It's ok, I don't take offense, I know my greatest strength is my ability to talk and talk and talk. I embraced it years ago, along with all the loves in my life who put up with it. And because of this, it's a very rare occasion indeed that leaves me speechless. It has taken a week and a half, a full 7+ days for me to find my voice again and be able to share this with you. Even now I'm not entirely certain I can do full justice to the emotions this gift has stirred in me. It's still very surreal, and that is a hard feeling to share. But, to the best of my ability this morning, and in an effort to thank this company properly, here goes!

I shared a bit ago the news that my dear friend Rhonda had entered my family in a contest, for which we were selected as one of 3 finalists. The contest was titled "The Great Mortgage Giveaway", given by Nations Lending Corporation, a small local mortgage company in Independence, Ohio. The idea was to pay a family's mortgage for the next year--a family that has experienced tragedy in some fashion that has left them in a financial bind. As I understood it, there were close to 700 applications, and I have to pause here to say that my heart goes out to every single family represented by each one of those. I do not envy the staff at NLC who I know personally read through every single entry. My heart aches just at the number of hurting people this contest drew into the light. I cannot and selfishly do not want to imagine the emotions, and tissues, run through by those who were responsible for reading each individual story. It cannot have been anything close to easy, but you paid amazing respect to those hurting souls by taking the time to step into their worlds for a little while, and that is an incredible gift to someone who is struggling-that is all I can say.

As I said, my family ended up being a finalist in this giveaway. We did not win-- but the family that did is amazing, and so so deserving! You can see them and read their story here, and if you do, then take a moment to say a prayer for them please--there are 6 hurting hearts in this family that can use every ounce of comfort the world can offer them!

 In regards to the giveaway...here's the thing: initially the owners of this company reached out to the community with an offer of paying a years worth of one families mortgage, and decided on an approximate total of $18,000. Eight-teen-thousand dollars.  I cannot possibly be the only one who goes "WOW...!!!!" at that number...at the idea of someone just handing that number of dollars to a complete stranger just to lend a helping hand!! If I am, then just share in my exuberance of the "small" stuff! In all honesty, who does that?! What kind of person, people, are self-less enough to do something like this?! These guys...this company...that is who! And you know how I know? Because they decided at the last minute that they couldn't give just $18,000...couldn't help just one family...because it wasn't enough. So after they awarded The Getch Family, they contacted the other two finalists. They contacted me, and said they needed to help us, too. Not wanted to, but needed to. They chose to pay the rest of this years mortgage payments for my family, and the other family who was also a finalist. November and December...a total of  just under $3000 for my family alone, just done. Send them our mortgage statement, they send us a check to send to the mortgage company, and simple as that, just done.

 

 

Still hard to find words...no way to properly express the gratitude we feel for this incredible, amazing, unheard of gift. Look at the world around us....the selfishness, the greed, the more more more mentality that pervades so many places in it... and then look at what Nations Lending Corporation has just done for three families. Unheard of.  Thank you NLC---I wish I knew something more to say, but I pray you hear these words all the way down in your heart of hearts: thank you!!!!