Coping.... little by little

DAY TWO---saturday May 22nd/10

The start of another day of uncertainty in regards to the state of my apartment suite & belongings.
I was glad I didn't have to be at work at 8:30 in the morning, so I was able to get a proper amount of sleep. My thoughts were on the fire a lot as I fell asleep last night and also when I woke up. So often the questions of WHAT IF, WHAT IF entered my mind along with other unpleasant thoughts. Its those kinds of thoughts that I really had to work at and just ask the Lord to keep me calm. Thankfully Ruby and myself didn't have nightmares about it.
Being around the grandchildren was a good distraction, plus their Siamese cat warmed up to us quite a bit as well.
The insurance adjudicator called again and so I was able to arrange something with him that day. I decided against meeting with him at the apartment since I knew we would be busy at CT and so he was willing to come to the store after inspecting the apartment suite.
I started making a few phone calls in regards to other housing, but wasn't very successful.
Then before going to work I made another short shopping trip at Wal Mart. As I pull onto the parking lot a friend calls to see if I'd be interested in talking to the press (Free Press or The Sun). The Press wanted to talk to someone that had more damage or loss. My friend gave me some phone numbers, but said it was up to me and that she had not given them my name or phone number. I explained to her what my day would be like and I wasn't sure if I would have time to talk to them.
Being at work and being kept busy was probably the best for me at the time. Since the cashier at cash #1 was finished when I started my shift I decided to step into cash #1 until after my supper break. The cashiers in customer service probably realized I didn't want to be in C.S until I had to... plus when the insurance adjudicator came in I would have to slip away for awhile.
The only customers that knew what I was experiencing were the ones that knew where I lived.
A tenant from the apartment and on the same floor as me came through my check out. He recognized me from the apartment and vise versa, so we exchanged some words to see how each other were doing.
Another pleasant surprise was from another friend that didn't live in the area, but came shopping at CT that day. They too knew about the fire and gave some encouraging words and said they'd be praying for us. Something that reaffirmed my thoughts knowing that people were praying.
As I'm kept busy serving customers I'm anxiously waiting for the insurance adjudicator to call and say when he'd be at the store. As soon as he called I called my son (Diedrich) to let him know when the adjudicator would be at the store. Diedrich & Judy, grandchildren & Ruby got to the store just shortly before the adjudicator showed up.
I excuse myself from cash and we go to the customer lounge area to discuss the fire damage. The lounge was a place away from customers and we could talk freely.  I also introduced my family to the adjudicator. The adjudicator had taken pictures of my suite and so we were able to see some of the damage, but pictures can be deceiving.  The news wasn't good, it was being documented as total loss. At the moment we didn't know when we'd be able to go back into the apartment to see the loss for ourselves and to see if anything could be salvaged. I was glad that Diedrich & Judy had come because Diedrich asked some questions that I hadn't thought of or may have missed, plus the adjudicator welcomed their attendance & questions. He commented on their support.  As we discuss the fire loss I felt comfortable & at ease with the adjudicator that he'd take care of things, keep me informed & that I could trust him in what he was saying. (He proved himself in the weeks & months ahead.) The adjudicator also confirmed what we heard as to what started the fire, it was a cigarette butt disposed of improperly on the patio below our suite.  After we were done with our meeting I calmly go back to cash. Again my calm state wasn't in my own strength. My faith was in the Lord.
So now I knew what I was up against and needed to make a list of my belongings.
A scribbler definitely was a necessity for what I needed to write down.
My family continued on with their day and I finished my scheduled shift which was till 9 p.m.(closing).
As I'm relaxing a bit at Diedrich & Judy's I think of my recliner which I made good use of after a busy day at work. It was good to be with family though in a time like this.
(Another daily routine would be using the computer before going to bed. Now it was something I couldn't do since Diedrich & Judy didn't have a computer. So I posted some things on facebook from work computer during my breaks,)
 We discuss a few more things before going to bed for the night and  also what plans they had for Sunday.
Time for bed and sleep didn't come as quickly that night as it did the night before. My thoughts were all over the place and yet eventually sleep did come. Goodnight.