Finally...

To you, this may be just a picture of an ordinary little house. To me, it's a dream come true; a happy ending to a chapter in the book of my life. When I look at it, I remember a time seven years ago when we moved back up north with the hope of a better life.

I think of all the hard times we came to face. Near divorce, bill collectors, notices of repossession, food stamps. All the things we had to do without. All the fear. All the worry. I think of a time about five years ago when we didn't know how we were going to dig ourselves out of the hole we had created. And the deparate call to a bankruptcy lawyer.

I think about the day after that phone call. That was the day we decided we weren't going down like that. That was day we learned that the right way is almost never the easy way. And so the digging began. One step at a time, one bill at a time, one better job at a time. All the while, hanging on to the goal of owning a home. I admit I would drive through neighborhoods and wonder if and when our time to buy a house would ever come.

And now it has...

As I look back at a chapter of my life, I think of the lessons I've learned. From this one I learned many. First, God is real and He is good. He's always there with us, guiding us and timing everything. I've learned to, "let go, let God," a little more. Second, the right way is almost never the easy way. If you really want something to happen in your life, you've gotta work for it. Third, home is a verb. It's what you do within the walls you live that matters most. Someone had the nerve to tell me once that my apartment was nice but certainly not a place to raise children. That crushed me. But when I looked at my children, I saw healthy, happy, well-rounded, smart kids. That comment was ignorant and complete bullshit. My husband and I were raising great kids and it didn't matter where we lived.

So in two weeks we are closing on our first house and closing an important chapter of our life. I am thankful, amazed, relieved, and blessed.