We love living in our home, here in Tennessee. Everything is green--a sign of life and growth. And, there's a reason for all that green! There is a lot of water. From rain and rivers, lakes and creeks that are everywhere. In the summer, a lot of moisture hangs in the air. As a native of California, I never experienced humidity. Not like what's here. In the heat and humidity of summer and early fall, the struggle is real whether I can make it from the car to the grocery store door without wilting! I grew up having the Pacific Ocean nearby, mountains (the tall variety) within view and mild seasonal changes. So Tennessee did not disappoint in giving me a welcome howdy-do with all four seasons.
It's Sunday afternoon, the first day of Daylight Savings Time and my windows are open to let in some fresh air. We've had a stormy-rainy spell lately and all the windows have been kept squeaky-tight (if there IS such a thing) and locked-up. Today, birds have been calling non-stop (yes, I said 'non-stop'!). It is a sound I haven't heard in awhile, so it was such a sweet thing to hear...except for that one bird out there that has only one distinct call right now. He hasn't varied it at all. I think it's our male Mockingbird, calling for a mate. Soon there will be birds very busy constructing their homes so they can begin their families. But, dear Jesus! Please help this little guy find his gal! Quickly! Otherwise, I will be hearing him calling into the evening. And then into the early morning. And sometimes three or four hours at a time. I think. At 2 in the morning, it's all kind of foggy--and very maddening.
That said, the house we currently live in has five steps from the garage up into the house and five steps from the driveway up to the front door. Then there are 10 steps from the living room up into the bonus room. After having raised our family in a two-story home, my aging knees do not want to do more than they have to! So I have been on the look-out for a home that is one-story, no steps into the home from the garage or the front door or the back patio. That is not very common here. Enjoying the loveliness of the green hills also comes with living WITHIN the green hills. In fact, Middle Tennessee reminds us very much of the topography of Scotland! Lovely hillsides, but every town or city we were in we were either walking uphill or downhill or upstairs or downstairs. Everywhere.
We did find a home in our town that fit that need! We were offered some good builder's incentives so we put down earnest money and set out to sell our home in January with high hopes that my prayers to have a serious offer by the end of that month would be answered. Well, the answer was to go into February and have lots of showings, but no offers. I still trusted that God would provide the right buyer at the right time, but I was beginning to allow doubt to creep in that maybe I was running ahead of God's plan. Oh, adding insult to injury, much of February was stormy and rainy--especially the weekends. Not very good weather for prospective buyers to go out looking at homes. In fact, there was a Flood Advisory/Warning for one full weekend. The last week of February Daniel and I were talking about the very real possibility that we would have to let go the home that we desired to buy and take our home off the market.
On the last day of February, Daniel and I looked at each other and agreed that it looks like we'll have to take our home off the market, give up the home we were wanting to buy and just keep looking for another one-story, no-steps home to purchase. And we were okay with that. All along I had told God that if the home we were wanting to buy was not the right one--the right location, the right timing--then I didn't want it. And that last day of February I said it one more time. And Daniel and I were both okay with that. We really could let it go.
Then a couple of hours later, our agent called saying we had an offer, which we countered. Our counter was quickly accepted and we looked at each other with that "what just happened?" look!
We are still in the "sold, with contingencies" stage, but now I am climbing stairs into the house telling myself that this won't be much longer. And then I get a little excited. So sing on, Mr. Mockingbird! Because maybe you are singing the praises of your Creator. I know I am.