GOSH!

Since January 1, I have been dreading the tax season.

Maybe we all do, but I have been especially bummed out by it.

This is the first time I have filed as SINGLE since 1980's taxes. I hear the words of Lovey droning on and on about how it is because of all her ministry that we ever got any refunds. I also worried that because I had played with my exemptions at the office during the year that I had probably screwed myself up royally.

Last year I got to file as HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD because I was providing my daughter (now in El Salvador) a place to live and providing for her support. As it turned out, I got a hefty refund back then.....but Lovey called me up to complain that she had to pay out the nose.

So last weekend, I spent the entire weekend finding all the paperwork required in order for me to get them all to my accountant and to have the taxes taken care of.

Mid-week, he called me. Immediately when I heard his voice, my heart tanked. He never calls me. He just does my taxes, which he has been doing for 20 years.....and that's that. Hearing his voice on the other end of my phone only confirmed my dread.

"I need your bank account routing information and your account number so that you can get your refund back sooner," he said matter-of-factly.

"Refund?" I asked, incredulously.

"Yeah, and sizeable ones at that from both state and federal," he added.

I nearly dropped the telephone.

"What helped me the most?" I asked.

He paused and scoured the return in front of him. "The alimony was the biggest benefit," he said.

He then chuckled and said he would file the returns immediately.

I got my copies in the mail yesterday. So it's official.

What a great and EARLY birthday present!