We finally have a signed contract on a house!  Not just any house....a perfectly beautiful house!  At least it seems that way to us, and unless God chooses to shut the door, we are receiving this with open arms and very happy hearts!  There are some interesting God stories that go with this.  I thought I would write about one or two here.  

This retreat-like home is located at the end of the cul-de-sac that has the street name, "Stilhouse Ridge."  It's almost as if that word has been constantly reminding us that there is "still" a house for us regardless of the rather lengthy and frustrating search we have been on!  We have sold the house we are currently living in and the new buyers are moving in on August 24th!    

As of Friday, August 7th we were in the middle of some rather rocky negotiations with the seller of a different house that we had discovered upon costly inspections needed an entire 25 thousand dollar septic system put in.  We had began a long process of negotiations whereas we continued to go up in our offer (with constant refusals on the seller's part) until we absolutely could not offer any more.  In fact we were at the ceiling point leaving hardly anything for us to paint and fix some necessary things inside the house.  We decided to pull the plug and not negotiate any further.  

That very day (Friday) another house popped up on the market and we really liked the photos on the brand new listing.  I happened to be in Potosi (about an hour south of St. Louis) doing a book signing/sale at a county fair there, but my hubby went to take a look at it.  He was very impressed and thought it would be worth my closing my booth to drive up to see it - as soon as possible.  So, the next morning (Saturday) I shut down my little 10 X 10 booth and made a quick drive to meet my husband and the realtor.  There was no doubt in either of our minds that we wanted to get a contract in immediately - and did just that!  Scott remained with the realtor to do the paper work and I ran back to Potosi so as not to miss more of my responsibilities there.  By 10:00 that night (last night) we had a signed contract by both parties; the fastest I ever remember negotiating and buying any house - and we have bought a few!

Something fascinating is that all the things that seemed to be lacking in the previous house were present - and even pleasantly exaggerated in most cases - in the new property!  I had been concerned about leaving our well-loved, very spacious victorian current home and feeling "closed in" with something that might have low ceilings, small rooms and limited windows/light.  The new home has every one of these things way beyond our liking!  I had asked the Lord to provide room for not only our daughter with disabilities to comfortably live with us, but also for our children when they are home at various times throughout the year.  This home generously offers the space we need and more!  My husband wanted some privacy after living in a very busy city area for over a decade.  We will have 3 acres of woods at the end of the cul-de-sac, a beautiful large front porch and 2 decks, one being connected and tucked just outside the master bedroom!  

The funniest part?  The owners of the new place just put in a BRAND NEW SEPTIC SYSTEM!  It appears they more than took care of all aspects of the house, but had also just completed the work on the very same problem that had been unresolved in the previous house we'd looked at!  I am convinced God not only cares for the details of our lives, but has a great sense of humor!

I write because it will one day help me to remember His goodness in this "land of the living" and count my blessings.  In the old testament, God told many people to build altars when He guided and blessed them so that they would not cease to remember how good He is!  Tonight, I build a little story altar in memory of my God's amazing grace and care over my life.  

Though we have not had the final inspections on this new home, I somehow believe that God has our back in this.  He seems to know better than I what we need most, but also keeps working with us as we learn to trust and walk blindly through an often dark world.  It is important that we keep our eyes on and continue to acknowledge the Light of the world and the One who cares the most for us!!