No, I’m not bemoaning the winter, or snow (we don’t have any) or the holidays. I love this time of year. But as much as Christmas excites me, the prospect of moving out of this place and into some place better excites me even more. And God-willing, that will happen sometime this spring.
Long story short, this mobile home that we have been living in for the past five years has provided a roof over our heads, a place to sleep, eat, live and be a family. It fits the bill, but to be honest, our landlord was ready to burn it down when we moved in. We needed a place, so they’ve held off burning it this long. =p But with each passing month we get closer and closer to The Day.
Many years ago, a lifetime ago it seems, the tech market crashed, hubby was laid off with thousands of other people across America. We took what may seem like a step back and moved in with my parents. You gotta keep moving forward, no matter what life throws at you. About 8 months later, right on the heels of 9/11, Hubby managed to find another job but one that came with a two hour commute. It was moving forward, and we took a step up, out of my parents house and into a tiny little house without central heat and a bad spider infestation. It was “just for a little while,” while we got back on our feet.
After about a year, Hubby moved from commuting to self-employment and started up his own business, so a little while turned into three years. At that point we moved into the house we are in now, which is still a far cry from the Hilton, but it was one more little step. Heck, this house has real showers, two bathrooms, and it has/had central heat and air. (Though we’ve recently discovered that we actually save money on our electric bill and stay warmer if we run space heaters instead of central heat, but hey, it’s there.)
And now after five years on this little step up, we can see the next little step just up ahead. It’s right there! So close!
I have to tell you it has changed everything I see as I walk around this house. This house practically falling down around our heads, this house that I have been just barely making peace with, is suddenly much more bearable knowing that our time here is limited. I put up my tree this year, which always involves much furniture rearranging, and I thought to myself, “next year there will be PLENTY of room for a tree.” This year, I’m looking at my Christmas stockings, which I always thumbtack to the wall, and I think “next year I will have a mantel to hang them on.”
I get all giddy inside.
I think to myself:
“In a few months, each of the kids will have their own bedrooms.”
“In a few months, I’ll have an office.”
“In a few months, I’ll have a place to put all our school stuff.”
In a few months, in a few months. I can barely make it through the holiday season. Of course, like a kid that can’t wait until Christmas, I have to wait. There’s no other choice.
But it’s all good. I can wait. I can be patient. God does things in his own timing. Baby steps. Life isn’t all about houses and central heat and floors that aren’t sagging in. There’s so much more to it. The house is just the box we put it in. What goes on in the box, and out of it, that’s where real life happens.
In the meantime, Y’ALL, I am so looking forward to a different box to package this family in!
