grateful

The Past Seven Weeks

Since my last blog post, we moved into our new home and traveled to Ohio to visit my family. The past seven weeks have been busy, and this blog post is long overdue.

God is good. He’s blessed me several times with a view of cows from my dining room window. My youngest daughter joined me on the back patio one afternoon while I watered my orange and yellow gerbera daisies. A sound nearby brought a smile to my daughter’s face. “Was that a cow?” Poor city girl—her first time to hear a cow moo.

We’ve met many friendly neighbors. The first was a young boy, about ten years old. Cody came to our door to introduce himself within hours of our closing while we were cleaning. I thought he was such a sweet young man. Later that afternoon, we met another neighbor—an adult from down the street. We told him we’d met Cody. He said, “You met Eddie Haskell.”

What I remember about Eddie on Leave It to Beaver was his sweetness to adults but his sneakiness away from them—an instigator of trouble. So that’s our Cody? Time will tell.

In Ohio we met my sister, her husband, grandson, and two foster boys at a park in Toledo. Kenn and I walked along the paved trails while we waited for them to arrive. We enjoyed the park so much that we returned three more times during our two-day stay to walk and talk. My favorite spot was a covered bridge along our path.

We also visited my brother and his wife and gathered with nieces and nephews for a mini family reunion. The two foster boys surprised me with hugs when they arrived. When they left, they and my sister’s grandson did the same. Three sweet young men.

Another highlight occurred when we attended church with my sister and her family and chatted with our former pastor after the service. This was the man who preached a message during a revival forty-seven years ago that woke me up to my need for a personal relationship with Christ. He, along with his wife, taught me of God’s love and forgiveness. She played matchmaker in getting Kenn and I to date, and this pastor performed our wedding.

God has blessed us for the past seven weeks. I am grateful for His goodness and the people He has placed in my life. I pray that I’m able to share that same goodness with others.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 100:5, NIV

A Grateful Heart

The waiting has ended. With a grateful heart, I can share that we found a house in Middle Tennessee, thirty miles from downtown Nashville.

Our good news came two days after my birthday—a grand gift from the Lord. We will move into our new home in early June. Ours wasn’t the highest bid the sellers received, but they chose ours because of other factors for which I am thankful.

At one of my favorite houses (offer number seven), I walked to the edge of the backyard and peeked over the fence. Down a hill lay three cows. I shouted a big hello to them. One stood and stared up at me. I was ready to make an offer because I loved seeing the cows. God knew that, but He didn’t give us that house.

I loved the small-town feel of another one of my favorites (offer number eleven). My husband and I were excited to find a state park nearby. We love to hike and walk trails surrounded by trees and wildlife. God knew that, too, but He didn’t give us that house.

When we drove out to visit offer number twelve, which was in a subdivision out in the country, we commented on the lush, green farmland we passed. We arrived at the house with our agent and while on the back patio, to my left, cows grazed nearby. Another special feature of this house’s location was its proximity to another Tennessee state park—larger and closer than the one near the small town. God gave us this house.

I hope to see the cows often while I sit and relax on my patio or as I gaze out my dining-room window. And I look forward to seeing wildlife when I trek along the trails at the state park with my husband.

Although we had to wait longer than we expected, the Lord gave us a home with both cows and hiking nearby. With a grateful heart, I can say it was worth the wait. And because of our large fenced-in backyard, maybe I can talk my husband into buying me a cow of my own!

Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart,
I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord;
may I never forget the good things he does for me.
Psalm 103:1-2, NLT