Closing day had finally arrived after more delays than I want to remember.  Our signing time was scheduled for 2 pm and it was my last morning in our home.  Tracy had to work that morning and would meet me just in time to load up the final items and say goodbye.   At first I was frustrated at being left alone to finish up the cleaning, but the truth was I was worried that the closing would be delayed again and I was tired of riding the emotional roller coaster.   As I cleaned the house I thought of the family that would be moving in and how they had…

After touring many homes, being out bid on homes, searching for a rental, desperate for a home, we finally bought a home!  That was quite a process.  We would be scheduled to see homes and before we arrived they were sold.  The market had really picked up and the options were getting limited.  We looked into renting, but it cost more than buying a home to resale.   We had made a full price offer on a home and I was sure we would get it, but it didn’t happen.  I was very disappointed and began feeling desperate.  We had to be out of our home in less than a…

While packing I came across a letter I had written to Brock in 2008.  It mentioned all the times we spent in our rocking chair and how precious it was to me.  Then it mentioned letting go of something in order to move on.  Never forgetting – but moving forward in a healing way.  Oh how the tears flowed.   The house we bought was smaller than our current home and would require that we downsize the furniture and household items that we would bring with us.  The rocking chair would not be going with us.  I couldn’t give it to a thrift store because I was too attached.  I…

Throughout the whole process of deciding to move and actually moving, there were several changes or course corrections.  It started off as possibly building a new home, then went to buying an older home and remodeling, then renting and back to remodeling.  As a planner you can imagine how all this change really cramped my style.   Needless to say I had many moments of irritation and most of them were directed to Tracy because it was his idea to move in the first place.  Well not really, it was God’s idea and Tracy was a much more willing participant that I was.  As I mentioned in previous posts, God…

By nature I’m a planner.  My husband teases me that I pack for trips weeks before and he throws a few clothes in a suitcase the day of and is ready to go.  Sometimes I remind him of a camping trip he took with our oldest son Mitch while I was away on a business trip.  He said they were able to get everything in the truck with room to spare, but when I go with them everything including the kitchen sink is packed.  But then I asked, “How was your food and did you stay warm?”  On that particular trip the answers were, “not very good and no, we…

The holidays always tend to be extra busy and it seems like more demands are made all the time.  In the travel industry it is the busy season and that’s expected.  But, no matter how planned out or prepared I might feel, it always seems to stress me out and I feel burned out and relieved when they are over.   As I answer phones or help customers in my office, I always say, “How can I help you?”  It’s said with sincerity and I do want to do the best I can for them.  In addition to customers there are family responsibilities, holiday events and expectations to add to…

I was watching a commercial about St. Jude’s Hospital the other night and several cute little cancer patients were speaking out against that terrible disease.  Each little person pulled on my heart strings.  One mother was crying and said she wonders if her child will make it.  My heart was breaking for her, I’ve been there and felt that.  My heart goes out to each of them and the road ahead for them.  Regardless of the outcome it’s a hard road.   Later that night while relaxing in a hot bubble bath the question came to mind, “Do you have the same heart towards the lost?”  Does the thought of…

After receiving a much needed lesson in prayer and Holy Expectation, my heart began to soften towards others and I took some time to really talk with God about the people He had placed on my heart.  He has blessed me with more than I need so that I can be a blessing to others, not so I can sit back and say, “I’m fine.  I have no requests.  My life is blessed.”   I limited my own understanding of who Jesus is and what He can do based on my own human logic.  People issues can be hard and messy and at times I really don’t want to deal…

As the packing and moving continued I was excited to begin a new bible study called “Finding I Am” by Lysa Terkeurst.   It had videos that were filmed in Israel and it was a highlight of my day to spend some time each morning seeing and hearing the message.  The lessons continued the work of remodeling my heart and mind.  I was beginning to see the parallels of physically and spiritually moving.   Both were exciting and challenging.  I had an idea of how I thought things would go, my expected scenarios, and then of course the unknown was always present.  Things do not always go according to plan and…

With my mind firmly set to move and knowing without a doubt that it was God’s will, the process began.  Fixing little details, preparing the home to be sold, showing the home to prospective buyers and downsizing.   We decided to buy an older home and remodel it rather than build a new one.  I liked that idea better because it gave us  more options with a lower house payment, opportunities to recreate living space and work together.   But moving is simply challenging, even when it’s God’s will.   I believe that God orchestrates things all the time.  Whether it’s a book I read, a bible study I begin or…