...stepping off of the edge

well, it's getting closer...

a process server served me with papers the other day...
I'm being sued by one of my creditors...
I had 30 days to respond, so I called the lawyer's office...
and went in yesterday, since the summons wasn't clear...
as to the details of what I needed to do...

and since nothing has officially happened with the 1st mortgage holder...
I had NO clue as to what to do next...

the associate I spoke with was very helpful...

after ascertaining that my only income can't be garnished...
[since pensions & retirement benefits cannot be seized to pay debts...]
and that "repossession" was not an issue...
her advice was, "ignore the summons"...
since that debt was to be included in the Chapter 13...
that we were beginning soon...

an emergency exit for the maze, as it were...
which was something that I did not expect...

so with that issue "moot"...
we turned to discussing their fee for the Chp.13...

$3500... $1750 now... $1750 after...

at that point, I had to tell her that if I didn't eat for 6 months...
I still couldn't come up $1750... much less $3500...

so she said that she would go in and talk to the "boss"...
to see what he could do for me...

she came back with the good news that they would drop the fee...
from $3500 to $2200... AND allow me to pay in installments...
to the trustee of the Chp.13, along with the settlement...
which they will try to keep at $75 per month...
since the 1st mortgage modification hasn't gone through yet...
and that filing bankruptcy often screws up the modification process...

the lawyer told me that,"I was really lucky to have come to that firm"...
because, "he always tries to help those who are in dire financial straits"...

I smiled and told her that I was sent there...
and we did both mean the church's lawyer, who referred me...

but I am also quite thankful that God cares about foolish old women...
who get themselves into big trouble through missteps & carelessness...
but then, can trust enough to allow God to bring them through the maze...
even though at times it seems hopeless...

she also informed me that ALL my credit card companies...
including ones that I was paying, such as a gas company one...
a department store one and the small credit limit Visa...
would close my accounts as soon as I filed...
so I should stop paying them now...

I also was warned that my bank, WFB, is one of a few...
that freezes ALL accounts when bankruptcy is filed...
even if you are current on all payments to them or owe them nothing...
so I have to change banks... and quickly...
since all 3 sources of my income are "direct deposits" into WFB...

not to mention the "auto pays" using my ATM card from WFB...
for my car insurance, homeowners insurance, cell phone...
I also pay my city utilities, gas & electric & everything else I can...
online...using my ATM card...

then there's the automatic 1st mortgage payment...

so changing banks is a major undertaking for me...
since some of those who are paid automatically...
require a lengthy processing period to change anything...
and keeping all my bills paid on time...
while extricating myself from WFB...
with whom I have no bad blood...
will be tricky at the least, possibly quite difficult...
requiring planning & a bit of good timing...

part of the problem is that my insurance companies give me a discount...
for the auto pay and changing the source of the payment...
may result in me having to pay extra, which I can't afford...

thankfully, I have God on my side...

if the mortgage modification of my 1st doesn't go through...
I have alternatives...
but I have to keep paying the current amount in the meantime...
which is 66% of my monthly income...
leaving me with not a lot to live on...

however, the attorney did tell me to stop paying ALL credit cards...

so that does leave me with about $75 more per month...
and since Fluff is now gone...
I no longer need to spend $40 on special food for her each month...
so I have about $100 I didn't have before...

if the 1st stays the same, I can still start the bankruptcy...
as the minimum payment is $75-100 per month...

and if the first is never modified or reduced at all...
I just might make it...
especially if I can learn to follow His instructions better...

I might even be led around the maze...

or, which is more likely, guided through the confusion...
to emerge wiser and safe, on the other side...

left to my own devices... I might have found the cheese...
but would STILL have been, stuck...
going in circles... or worse