Monday, April 18, 2011

A New Home? (Part 2)

The end of my last blog left us pondering and praying. What would our dream home look like? What was important to each of us in a home? Dare we begin to dream about it at all? Did the Lord have something in mind for us?

Our dreams included: Space for all our kids to come home with their growing families, a main level master bedroom, another room on the main level for aging parents and grandchildren to visit. Dan, being a lover of movies and enjoyer of game playing wanted guy space, maybe even a "man cave". I longed for a place for my piano, my music and my other creative outlets, scrap-booking, paper-crafting, sewing, etc. Outdoor space was also a high priority. We both love being outside and hoped for space to play and garden.

Our dreams were big. They were after all just hopes, ideas, and possibilities. Musings at this point in the game have no boundaries.

Just for fun we contacted a realtor friend, gave her our price parameters and possible areas we might like to live. She lined up a realtor search engine for us and we began to receive emails detailing homes for sale that fit our parameters. Over the course of the next 2 and a half years we viewed a few hundred houses. Most of these we rejected online , but occasionally we would schedule an appointment to see a house or two. We did not have to move, so we were in no hurry. We also decided the home/property needed to be at least a 9.5 for us or we wouldn't even consider it. We were content, but still curious as to what God might be doing. Still, it was a wee bit scary at the same time. Moving is a huge decision and we were not considering it lightly.

In the middle of my prayers regarding the buying and selling of homes, God reminded me of a scripture in Luke 11 which says, "Which of you Fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?" This scripture reminded me that I could trust the Lord to give me what I needed, but it also inspired me to pray a little differently. We did not know what was best for us in this situation. We knew what we liked, but we didn't fully know what to ask for or if we should move. Sometimes I believe that our prayers are not answered in the way that we desire because it is not what is best. Perhaps we are asking for a scorpion, or, that is, something that could be harmful to us and we don't even realize it. So with that in mind, I asked the Lord to protect us from what we were possibly seeking. Were we asking for a snake? a scorpion? Would moving be detrimental to us? Was a move okay, but certain homes were not the best choice for us?

We needed and wanted His protection.





Sunday, April 17, 2011

A New Home? (Part 1)

I can't believe I left us standing in the kitchen for almost 4 months. We can all surmise that moving is all-consuming and writing time has been squeezed out of my life.

Before I move farther into the nitty gritty of life in the new home, preparing and selling the old home, I want to share how we came to own this new residence.

We were contentedly living in the world of "someday we might like to move and get more of what we would consider our dream home and most likely our final home." Then one day my husband takes a bike ride out in the flat land of the river bottoms. He stops at the end of his route to grab a drink of water, and begins a conversation with a woman pulling out of her drive-way. He tells her that he loves it out there and that her property is really nice. She casually tosses out the invitation, "Do you want to buy it?" As it turns out her daily commute was an hour both ways and she was weary of living where she did.

So my husband comes home, tells me about the conversation and the next thing you know we have made an appointment with the family to see the home. We absolutely fell in love with the property, which was three acres of flat land, including a grove of trees with a creek running through deep in the back yard. The home would need some work, but the property itself was so enticing. My husband loved the thought of living in a place that he could jump on his bike and ride. It seemed a bit isolated for me, but I too loved the property and thought I could adjust. For me the thought of what I could do with a garden there encouraged me to press forward.

The housing market had taken a hit and we would be able to get it for a great price if they were willing. We made an offer. They decided, though, that perhaps they were not quite ready to sell. No worries for us. We didn't have to move. We let it go easily enough.

Well, almost...What happened that we had not anticipated were the questions that begin to rise about a possible move. Was it time to start thinking about it? Did God want to stir that thought in our hearts and minds and did He use this house to push us toward opening the door to a new home sooner than we anticipated. Those questions led to the big question of what do we even want in a home? We had lived in our present home for over 20 years at this point. We were settled and not musing about the next home much. It was time to do some soul-searching, thinking, talking and of course, praying.