To Fight Another Day...

Let me tell you a story…

When David and I went on our first date he shared with me that his business partner had come to him that morning to say she no longer wanted to partner with him. Needless to say, this began my adventure with AbleCare Home Health. Over the last seven years there have been many, many, many challenges. First was the dissolution of the partnership that cost David $30,000 before we were married. Then the former partner took nearly all of the clients and David basically started from scratch. Fast forward a couple years and enter a group of nurses who came to our company with promises of working with us to build a new program and help grow our company only to leave six months later taking 75 of our clients two weeks before Emily was born. Sprinkle in some bad gambles on marketing staff, a tough, competitive business environment, uncertainty about changes in healthcare and a slow economy and you have a recipe for failure.

So it has been in the life of AbleCare a roller coaster to be sure. We have weathered many storms and even more employees and yet we are still here. I am not sure why. We should have been out of business so long ago.

Today we almost shut the doors. Because Medicare is our primary payer source we depend on them to pay us so we can pay our staff. Medicare in its infinite government wisdom changed the software without testing to see if it worked thereby stopping our payments. Without payments from Medicare, we cannot pay our employees. So on Tuesday morning when they did not pay we knew we would not make payroll. David and I had no choice but to ask his parents to take over our clients and give David a job. After a long conversation it was agreed that we would close AbleCare and David would work with his parents. This decision brought both relief and fear. ..

This morning we were prepared to tell our staff and begin the process of closing our business, but when we woke this morning, Medicare had paid our monies!! David’s dad called and decided it best that we stay in business. SO….Ablecare lives to fight another day.

I am not sure why God keeps us going, but I am sure that He is sometimes the only thing keeping us going. God always provides for our needs. Many times we have been uncertain about making payroll and a check will arrive in the mail for the amount we need. We have had directors leave with no notice only to have another qualified person come through the door ready to get started. We have some of the best and most loyal employees who stick with us no matter what. I know God works in our business. I went to a craft show a couple years ago and found a sign carved in stone that said, “He is Able” It struck me profoundly. That sign sits on the desk in our reception area to serve as a reminder of who is in control of our business.

HE IS ABLE….If only we will trust him and follow him, he will lead the way. Hear my prayer Lord of thanksgiving for AbleCare , for our dedicated employees and for your continued support of our work. May we be a blessing to you and to those we serve for as long as you would have us serve them.

I know the coming weeks and months, maybe years, will not be easy, but I know what God says,
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Thanks for listening
Till next time...