I tell ya, nothing teaches me compassion and understanding for other people like a few hard knocks. We almost had the house sold, moved into another rental in a better neighborhood and then the first day I got mail at the new house there was a letter in the box. Inside the envelope was a notice that the buyer on our house had had their earnest money check bounce. I felt no suprise, just concern. It was as though I knew this was going to happen all along. I feel like we're supposed to feel this economic crisis in a very real way and that all of the bad stuff we hear about, is just not going to pass us by. I called the realtor, she told me not to worry. Funny, I wasn't worried, I just knew the whole gig was shot. Ya know? I just knew those people couldn't afford a house and they were living in a dream. I know when people can buy houses. We've bought our share. I know when you need to rent... we've rented our share. Long and short, I am relieved that we didn't dump the responsibility of owning that house on someone that couldn't handle it. We can and we will, we will rent it out and we will rent here and we will prioritize things correctly. That is all good for all of our neighbors in Kasson. So, now to find the right renter. It would be stressful if I hadn't gone through this purification process in the last few months. I feel completely calm. As a matter of fact, I have finally put what I know into action. I have confidence in God's plan for my family. His promise that he has a plan for welfare and not calamity, that we may have a future and a hope is very real and almost exciting to me.
So, we moved across town. Jody has 20 minutes less drive time each day. The neighborhood feels twice as safe. The house is 20 years younger. The carpet is new. The square footage is 500 feet bigger. I saved the best for last.... we went from one bathroom to 2 1/2. Very happy situation. The girls have a purple bedroom and Nick has a red one. All of their room decor matches the walls perfectly. Kinda neat. Kind of like God really cares about the little things and provides some little blessings we hadn't even thought of asking for.
I took Eden to her first eye exam today. Jody and I have poor vision and I have an astigmatism. So does Eden. She's also far sighted, so she only has to wear the glasses when she's working on things up close. She ordered purple Hannah Montana glasses. They were three times as expensive as the ones on sale but I just didn't care. When I was a little girl, my mom let me pick whichever glasses I wanted even though she was broke and by golly I'm doing the same. Not because I think she should have whatever she wants whether I can afford it or not, but because I'd rather spend what little money I have on the glasses than a couple of unnecessary trips to McDonalds or WalMart.
Finally, a cute story. In the car today Eden said to me "Mom, when I'm a rockstar, I'm going to sing lots of songs, more than all of the other rockstars." I nodded sagely in the mirror. Kaitlyn piped up in her usual half yelling strident voice, "Like Muffin Man?" Eden looked at her quizzically so Kait proceeded to start singing Muffin Man. Eden's lip curled in derision and finally a placatory expresson covered her face. "No Kait, that's a little kid song, I'm going to sing grown up songs." Kait digested this comment and then covered the situation with a very superior expression and just said "well I'm going to be a Mommy when I grow up." Eden's knowing voice became tinged with impatience as she said " Kait! You can be a mommy and a rockstar. Sarah McLachlan is both!"
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