It has been such an amazing year so far!
God has just been moving in our family and in our lives in so many amazing ways!
In my last post I had just finished my courses at Franciscan and I was following the course that has seemed to be set for us all along. In prayer, we had been receiving so many messages that it was time to move on from our very special community in Maryland, and go to Texas. For so many reasons, political and personal. I will miss all of my loves in that place, but Jesus wants a change.
So, I was waiting to see where He would put us. I knew that the parish would be St. Peter and Paul, and I knew that the house would be within 10 minutes of the Church. So I had asked Laura and Andrew to look at a couple of houses with our Realtor, and on Friday, July 15th, they went to New Braunfels to see them. They were very much unimpressed with the ones that I had identified, but there was one more that had just popped up on the radar, at a very good price. So they went over to 136 Field Ridge, to have a look. They texted me while they were there, and they were very happy with it.
The realtor said that it was an excellent deal for the price, and that we should make an offer ASAP. Wow. What a ride that was. She was sending us the paperwork on our phones. We were actually having dinner with Fr Henry that night and we needed to do the signing as soon as we could, because there was another offer that had come in. So I am trying to visit and navigate texts, and I ended up going into the restroom and just signing everything. Tim was still at the table, and I know that he really wanted to read through everything and take his time, but he had heard from Jesus as well, and so he went ahead and signed. That was really pretty amazing of him. He has given everything up to the Holy Spirit, and through it all has been able to do things from a distance that would have been very difficult without his deep faith. I am so blessed to have a husband who trusts God so deeply.
It then became apparent that I was going to have to leave immediately for Texas.
I needed to look at the house and we had to have it inspected by the end of that week. We also agreed to a very quick closing. I got my stuff together, saw Brendan and Nina and Lilly, and some friends, and left on Monday the 17th, with my travel buddy, Cora. I got to Kyle on Tuesday night, and the boys' bedroom was waiting for me. As always, the Cookes are so gracious, and those boys slept on the floor of the girls room for several weeks.
So, we agreed that this was THE HOUSE that the Lord had been leading us to. There have been so many signs. Over and over. Going to mass. The readings each day. So many times, in prayer, Jesus just washing me with peace and purpose. I woke up one morning at Laura's and I realized that I was waking up in a state where abortion isn't the law of the state. This is the first state that I have lived in where I could say that. The parish is so wonderful. It has daily mass twice a day, and Adoration all day every day! They also have a list of spiritual directors that I hope to get on eventually. It is a huge parish, with a lot of things going on. I already feel very much at home.
So there were all the details to get figured out. Home insurance, auto insurance, would the landlady in Havre de Grace let us out of our lease early, setting up the utilities, and then arranging for the things that needed to be done to get the house in better shape to last a long time.
The inspector found a few issues. The AC hadn't been maintained real well, and the summer has been horribly hot so the system needed a serious look. Also there were a few spots on the roof that needed attention. The driveway was all washed out underneath, and a lot of the soil had pulled away from the foundation, so we needed gutters before the rains came again. I think that one of the things that has been the most clarifying in all of this has been the number of people here who have been there just when we needed them, to do what needs to be done. The lack of obstacles and this feeling of "rightness" can only come from God. There has been so little disturbance on my heart this whole time. Whenever we find something that we need to overcome, God puts the right person in front of us. We were able to buy the house with just enough left over to make the repairs, and purchase the furniture that we needed because we had to get rid of so much back in Maryland. Not too much, just enough, as always. The one thing that looked like a pretty serous obstacle to this particular house, are the property taxes. Texas has no state income tax, but the property taxes are horrendous. Still, we knew that this was the house, we would find a way to deal with that. Low and behold, Texas has just revamped it's property tax law and there is relief on the way. This year.
Then there was the question of how to move all our stuff from Maryland to Texas. I had looked into movers, and between the cost and the lack of trusting their quotes, I was stumped. We had given away as much as we could possibly give away, but there was still a LOT! So Andrew offered to drive a 26 foot U-Haul halfway across the country to get it all here. Wow. That's a huge offer. He had just taken a new job, and had time off coming to him. He had points so that he could fly up, and we had friends to help us load. I found two young guys to help with the heavy stuff. Tim picked Andrew up at the airport on Thursday, they picked up the truck on Friday, and we all spent the morning packing everything up. It was amazing. It all fit.
Saturday we headed out at 6:00am.
Andrew drove that truck like a champ. Like he had been driving trucks all his life. We didn't caravan because his GPS took him a different way. But we met up on the drive in Tennessee. And it was a good thing, because we hit a rainstorm and I lost my windshield wiper. We had to pull off the highway and find an Autozone, and I paid a princely sum for a new one. Then we headed to the Days Inn in Holladay. It's not fancy, but it worked for that night, plus Cora was with me. The next morning it was on to Texas! We made good time, but got separated again about 3/4 of the way down. I ran into a wicked storm, and a lot of traffic, and then a guy in a white pick-up was "hunting" action on the highway, and picked me out to harass. It could have been a dangerous situation, because he was obviously up to no good, but the Lord kept His angels close to me, and I was literally taken out of danger. That is probably one of the most amazing experiences that I have had with God's protection. And in all of the things that happened on that trip, I felt completely held. Like the danger was there, but I could just feel that it would be fine.
I think that understanding of Grace and His love is probably one of the most important things that I have learned through this whole experience. There are so many areas in this life that I pray about and I have offered to Him. And I have confidence that when He says "It's going to be fine", He really means it.
As I drove the rest of the way, I prayed and sang, and it was wonderful. Then, as I got to this new city, and came over the hill where the whole place is laid out, it was just getting to sunset, and as I looked over the city, the clouds had opened up over it and the rays of sun were shining down. There was a huge flag flying and the whole view was just golden. I know that was just for me, in that moment. He was saying "Welcome home! Do you like it?" So amazing!
Monday morning Laura came to the house and we unloaded that truck! Just the two of us!
Andrew came back to help move the heavier furniture and to return the truck.
And the miracles continue. For one thing, I can't get the tax break without my Texas driver's license. They say that you have to have an appointment, but those are scheduled out three or more months. So someone told me that you can just show up at the DMV and hope to get into one of the extra slots. It's a gamble, but I had time, so on Monday morning I gave it a shot. I took the green binder, which has every possible piece of identification I have. I lined up outside, and the person that works there came out and gave us all clipboards and applications, which seemed very hopeful. Then they started letting us in, four at a time, before they even opened! After a brief stint on "the bench" I was called back to do the business I had come for! I was able to be out of the office by nine, and I even passed the vision test without my glasses! I am so grateful!! I should be getting the hard copy in the mail in a couple of weeks. I came right home and applied for the Homestead exemption. I hope it is possible to get it for this year's taxes. They are steep! I went to mass at noon that day. What a gift to have two options!
This week I am working on getting things done. I have gotten the books unpacked and into bookcases, and I have pretty much finished the ground floor move-in.
I need to start reading and writing for TOB. I need an accountability partner for that. I keep putting it off.
So life here is very good. I am very blessed, and I look forward to serving God here, in whatever way He chooses!
