Daddy left exhaustive detail on his estate planning and measures to be taken after he was gone. He had life insurance. “Claim that immediately”, he said, “in case there are problems”. Included under “life insurance” was a line – Employment policy – $9900. He left that job in 1982. Unlike typical life insurance, there was no policy, no policy#, no file, no named insurance company.
Dad received health insurance for life from his old company, which continued up through about 2018. At that point, perhaps they figured the retirees had lived long enough, the company terminated the health insurance with a lump-sum incentive to agree not to litigate the premature termination.
After Daddy died last year, I called such phone#s as I could find for his old company, or in old references to insurance companies that took over the employee policy.
I had a letter dated 1992 with a name – Mary. She had been involved in arranging the lifetime health insurance. But, that trail was pretty cold. I made many phone calls and could not locate a responsible party. I searched Dad’s employment files, reading letters concerning the retirement benefits promised. In addition to Dad’s reference in the insurance list, I had only a line in the termination letter. “Life insurance policy of 10% of wages at termination.”
Daddy had worked very hard to leave everything in detail. I felt bad not completing this task. But, I finally admitted defeat and wrote it off in my mind, and declared the estate work “complete”.
Six months later, I received a letter addressed to my mother regarding “abandoned property”. “Can you help us identify this beneficiary to a life insurance policy for the above-named?” They named my father. No dollar value was mentioned. The insurance company requesting information was unfamiliar.
I called them up and long story short, there was a life insurance claim to be made as a result of my father’s death. The agent I talked to helped me out, giving me the abandoned property file# so I could begin the process of recovering the proceeds for Mom. Soon after I filed the claim, a check for $9900 arrived in the mail, which I deposited in Mom’s account.
I think it’s marvelous that an insurance company will come looking for you, to claim your abandoned property. Daddy would likely be smiling in heaven. “I told you!” He would understand why I gave up the hunt, and he would be pleased that it all came in at the end.
Pondering this today, I’m thinking about lines in letters that speak of future promises in another kingdom. No policy#, no policy, no company to speak of. But someone long ago wrote the letter, and someone preserved the letter and passed on to me the essence. “There’s something promised to you.” If I try to go back and contact the letter-writer, or the persons who preserved the letter, I can’t. They’re long gone. As with my dad’s life insurance policy, I am tempted to give up hoping for a claim.
If I do give up hoping, if I forget entirely, or let the letters molder in a folder, or even toss them out as useless, will someone come looking for me one day and say, “Are you the one? I have this abandoned property for someone named Jani James.”
What???!! I did give up hoping, at least actively. I forgot to think about it. I guess I did abandon the idea of the future promised and began to live as if the present is all I’ve got, so make the most of it.
But, the guarantor of future promises did not forget. He came looking for me. He had committed to the promise, and He was determined to make it good. He knew my name and came asking, “Are you the one?”
“Yes!” most gratefully, I answer. “I am! I had given up hope. But you did not give up Your part and Your promise.”
“Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that were I am, there you may be also.” John 14:1-3
Whatever is Good 