I’m discovering that in my life the time has come for some kind of significant change. Something deep inside is urging me toward a new place with new challenges. Both the place and the challenges are yet to be determined though I do have some idea the direction I’d like to go.
I’ve no doubt that fear and uncertainty may attempt to derail my plan for change. In the end I know that God will fund me with the courage necessary to push past the fear and embrace a new adventure. I’m 54 years old, cancer has touch my life more than once - it’s time for radical moves.
I remember the day Tom and I first drove out Route 20 to check out this place. Tom discovered a small ad in the Sunday Classifieds and asked, “How about this one Honey?” Simply stated, the ad said, “For Sale By Owner, 10 Wooded Acres, Deep Well.”
All those things would prove to be true and there would many not so welcome surprises we’d discover later. As we turned left off Route 30A onto this private, dead end road, grass could be seen growing down the center “line.” Private, not frequently traveled and just what we were looking for back then.
Our “rose-colored glasses” prevented us from seeing what was really here - a real fixer upper! We were so ecstatic to be new homeowners that the crudely homemade kitchen cabinets, aged carpet from the 1970’s and wallpaper affixed to every wall and ceiling throughout the entire house could not dampen our enthusiasm. We could not be deterred and we weren’t.
Moving in lock, stock and barrel in November of 2000, we’ve almost rescued the place from the “tacky wallpaper Gods.” Now all these years later it’s time to move onto something new. The prospect of this radical move is both exciting and daunting. What’s more there are things that need doing before our house can be put up for sale.
Tom has begun to tackle the unfinished kitchen and with expert hands he will have it to completion within a week or so. Perhaps we’ll slap on a coat of paint here and there. Plus I need to complete or paint over a mural that has remained unfinished for literally years. All this just in time to post a “for sale” sign. How bittersweet these feelings that are emerging as we make ready to say goodbye to this place we’ve called home for more than nine years.
While this move will be a good thing there is no doubt we will miss this place beyond measure, but the forces deep inside my soul calling out for something new are powerful. While I could just sit and wait for something to happen I know that God doesn’t work alone. We are full of desire, will and creative gifts God put into our hands to be nurtured and used for good. These days I choose to listen, watch, act and trust that these changes will lead me to a life better aligned with the urgings of my spirit. Chasing the fear away I opt for a new adventure.
It’s time to finish the kitchen, pack our bags, make radical moves and remember the profound words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies with in us.”
Tags: God, Life Changes, Moving