Gratitude and the Faith of Little Children

We are moving, yipee!  How do you say in words what you feel you can only scream from the top of your lungs on the highest peak or feel from the deepest part of your soul in the peaceful calm of meditation?  I don't know but the title of this post just about sums it up.

 

Last Thursday our realtor called and said that the people who saw the house that afternoon would be writing an offer later on that evening.  The first thing we did was call Daddy.  The second thing, with Daddy on speaker phone, sweet little Jakey got to offer his prayer of gratitude.  I can not even type that without tears welling up in my eyes.  I also can not pretend to count the number of times I have heard him explain to anyone that will listen, " I kept my promise to Heavenly Father.  I remembered to thank Him when we got our offer."  

 

Thursday night, about 8:00 p.m., I get the call.  "Hold onto your hat.  It's a really low offer." Yikes, those are not good words considering we just lowered our price ($217,900) and we are already priced under comps.  Let's also remember our mortgage balance ($212,500) and of course we can't forget that realtors like to be paid among all the other people in the buying/selling houses pot.  I brace myself.  "It's $200,000."  "What?" I say.  She repeats but doesn't need to I am really just trying to let it sink in.  She says talk to Sam and let's write a counter offer tomorrow.  

 

We talk for a looooong time and the thing we keep coming back to is Sam's feeling during the second session of general conference a couple of weekends back.  "I feel very strongly that we need to sacrifice anything to get the family back together.  We need to be willing to take a big hit."  We talk.  We pray.  We decided that we'll sleep on it and see if a number magically appears but we know we can't go below $205K.  There is just a limit to how much debt you can get and how much you can go into.  So we sleep and while no numbers magically materialize, we both feel like lower is better.  We counter with $207,835.  She counters back with $205,835.  We are tired of playing the game.  She wants the power and control.  We couldn't care less about it.  We are done being apart and we just want to make this happen.  We accept. Knowing (did you hear that?), knowing there will be a laundry list of nit picky items after inspection and she will want more money or something.   

 

So the big exciting number for us is, drumroll please .............. $16,500 (give or take a hundred or so).  Yes folks we will be the proud owners a of a retirement account loan and a maxed out credit card.  

I feel like this is one of those times for ....   cost of honesty and integrity: mucho moneyo from husbando's salario;  cost of loss of mucho moneyo: drainage of savings, food storage, and any possibility of any desire ever to work in this district again;  cost of updating home to put on the market less than 18 months after you buy it: $15,000;  cost of selling said home: $16,500

BEING REUNITED AS A FAMILY IN BELGIUM, WI:  PRICELESS

 

Today, inspection day, I was prepared for another set back.  Zackary came into bed with me sometime early (early!) this morning and said, "Mom I have been thinking all night about the inspection.  I said 3 prayers that it would go well and that there would be nothing wrong."  Add that to the countless prayers he has offered to that effect in the past couple of days and well you already know the results of the ever looming inspection day.  That's right nothing, not a thing on the acceptance after inspection.  Dana, our agent, baffled says, "In all my years I have never seen  one come back with nothing on it.  It's about time for some little blessings for you guys." What would we do without the faith and prayers of our little ones?  I don't want to find out.  

 

I think what has touched me most is listening to Ellie.   Her prayers were short and sweet, typical little kid prayers.  To listen to her now has caused me to reflect on the way that I pray. She is reverent and respectful, and yet she just has a chat with God.  It's endearing to listen to her speak about the littlest details from her day, things I don't even realize she pays any attention to, and then she speaks to the Lord about them for minutes.  How plainly and simply she talks about the things she wants and needs.  No flowery words, no hidden agenda, just simply asking.  It's been such a blessing to get to know her through her prayers.  I was curious one night so I actually noted the time she started and ended, 6 minutes.  Not that it's a contest or anything, but I often find myself hurrying my own prayers along because I am not in the moment.  

 

Even Addie in her prayers, "House, Daddy waukee.  Pleeeeeeeeease"  The best is when someone else is praying and she blurts, "Hey! Daddy waukee." accompanied by the tone and the look that could melt you right into the floor.  Of course they are not done praying yet, and haven't forgotten, they simply did not say it soon enough for her :)

 

What these precious little ones have taught us about faith, and resilience is truly awesome.   In the end I believe it was the children.  I would have lost faith long ago had their heartbreaking and earnest prayers not been continuously offered.  Faith nothing wavering  http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=49506c667a6af110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1It was not until I reached this point, truly reached this point, that things fell into place.  And boy are they falling into place.  

 

A few days before the offer came Sam found out that his counterpart who handles the engineering side of the inspections, had made Warrant Officer and would be having a school the first two weeks of May.  April and May were all scheduled up until the Lockhart's needed to move ;)  We talked about finding a ticket so he could come for another visit, and then .. the offer, and boom, so many things fall into place.  Plans as of now are; Sam comes to LA May 2, he plays Mr. Mom for a few days while I get the house ready for the movers (anybody want any stuff ...), movers May 11-13, drive off into the thawing north May 14/15 so Sam can be back for more inspections through forever :)  

 

I have mentioned a little about the farmhouse.  Maybe in another post I will detail just how wonderful Bob and Judy have been to us.  The farmhouse is ours.  Sam has been living there since he lost his room at the station due to reservists (which is who the rooms are for)  It's in Belgium, about a 50 minute commute, and is the perfect place for us.  The Branch there is currently held in a local school building but this past Sunday they announced that we will be getting a building to be completed late fall of this year.  So many things to say but this post is already so long I am sure the details are lost.  Bob and Judy are replacing all of the carpet in the house for us because of my allergies.  Their last tenants were keeping the dogs indoors unbeknownst to Bob and Judy and when cleaning the carpet would have worked for someone else, Bob's words were, "Whatever we need to do to make it suitable for you guys.  We want you to be in it."  He's even talked about replacing the bottom 2/3 of the drywall in the garage if he can't clean the dog smell out of it.  Seriously?  Seriously.  

 

And many, many, many more things.  We are blessed.  We are watched over.  We are humbled by a great many things in our experience here.  We are so many things but the one that wraps it up most perfectly is, grateful.  The Lord has a plan.  We often can not see but inches in front of us, yet He can see forever.  We are greatly blessed and SO EXCITED!