A New Home, A New Beginning!

We are in the new house! To God be the glory! Every step of selling the old house and buying the new one went smoothly. We are finding our way around a new city, a very small one with less than 13,000 residents.

This morning we attended a church nearby, and the warm and loving welcome impressed Douglas and me, reassuring us that this is a welcoming place. As the service ended, and we prepared to leave, one of the women came up to me with a bright and lovely smile, put her arm through mine, and invited me to Hannah’s Class, a Sunday School class for women over 50. I just could not resist going. Douglas went off to the men’s class.

This is a time of renewal, another beginning, and I am so thankful for the doors that God opened along the way, and that there were no major conundrums in our transition to another state. The word that best exemplifies my feelings is grateful. I bought a pillow to place on the couch, to remind me when I feel downhearted and throwing myself a pity party, that I have so much for which to be grateful and thankful.

We moved into a house with smaller rooms than the last house, and we found that our bedside tables would not fit. So, we repurposed them, placing one in the guest bedroom and using the other as a TV stand in our bedroom. We reviewed our lifestyle, and decided that less is better. We had the opportunity to buy a larger house, but chose the simplicity of minimalism in material things.

New beginnings can be frightening, but I am not afraid. Each ending presents us with opportunities to meet new people, participate in new activities, and to renew ourselves. Douglas and I visited the Senior Center last week, and I have already called for a brochure of gyms and parks in the county for exercising and socializing.

But, most important are the chances to spend quality time with family. Douglas’s daughter and her children came over to help us unpack, and he had some great alone time with her, as they returned the moving truck. Last Sunday, we attended church with my youngest daughter and her grandchildren, three generations worshiping together, and it felt wonderful.

So, here we are, two old fogies together, spreading our wings and rejoicing in the goodness of God in the land of the living. Yesterday, I went to my hometown to visit my best friend who is in hospice care. She did not know me or anyone around her.

It was so painful to see her, as I remembered the amazing good times we had as teenagers driving around Chattanooga in her daddy’s 1967 blue Impala. It seemed so cruel for someone who had so much vitality to be in such a state. It saddens me to think that she will leave this world soon, but I am rejoicing that she will be entering her eternal home, to be with her heavenly Father! Talk about a wondrous new beginning!

As I sat touching her and just staring at her, willing her to connect with me in the old way, I was reminded of the scripture in Job 14:1, “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.” As I spoke plaintively with her sister and niece, I realized that all we can do is live our best life while we have the time, taking advantage of new beginnings to experience all that life has to give us, and then when that fateful day comes, we can depart with peaceful hearts to our eternal home.

So, welcome to our Georgia home! I am excited to be writing again and sharing the adventures with each of you!

Fandango prompt is Conundrum. Word of the Day is Cruel. Ragtag prompt is Plaintive. Your Daily Prompt is Review. Daily Addictions prompt is Bright.