Mom hated paying for insurance! So much so, that she paid for it only when absolutely required by law. She felt any type, including extended warranties, was a waste of money that fools spent lining the pockets thieves. Although oddly, she liked many an insurance person not holding it as their doing. I guess she hated the idea not the people, cause people as she said, “had to make a living.”
As a result of this bias against what I, her son, would call good business sense, she never carried insurance on her Little Fannie’s business. Not only did she not carry it, she advertised that she did not! Crazy! Ridiculous and just plain fool hardy, I’d suggest. Deaf ears heard it better. Right there on the lower right side of her hand flyers for Little Fannies Country Retreat it reads, “God has made Little Fannie’s possible and we carry our insurance with Him.” With the underlined title “Most Important” no less!
To give you a hint at what she was not insuring, Little Fannies could sleep 44 people, rested on most of 11 acres, it had seven fully functioning and furnished little homes, a Meetin’ House, a Shed, a kids playground complete with a ship shaped fort, two Wash houses, a shop, a barn, an antique collecting barn and an outhouse. There were also two ponds, two horses, two cats, two dogs (most of the time) and a Donkey. There was plenty that could have gone wrong, a whole heap of opportunity to loose everything at the slip of a step, turn of the weather or strike of a match. All these things I would have obsessively worried. Mom lost not one wink of sleep over any of it. Not one claim in 20 years!
Now Mom is a religious person. I say IS because death I’m sure has only enhanced her religion as she glorifies God in her glorified body. She is Baptist to the core and has been attending her local church for many years. As is customary with long standing members she became what is known as an Elder in the church and that spawned many invitations to functions both somber and entertaining. Mom was attending the rather sober occasion of the church business meeting held on this particular Wednesday night with the topic being the yearly budget. After hearing debate on what may have to be cut and what could be done, the floor was opened to suggestions and ideas. Mother, what I call her when she is dead serious and of a particularly formal mind, reviewed the budget handout and raised her hand. She was recognized, stood up and flatly proposed dropping the insurance on the Church. I was told you could hear a pin drop. She went on to say that if we are a Church and we profess to believe the mighty hand of God will protect the Bride of Christ, then there was no need for it. Silence followed by a tabling of the subject and mumbles all around. Mother was not invited back to another business meeting or perhaps she chose not to attend. She never said.