The Pink Ceiling Fan

As you know, this summer has been a challenging one. A long lesson in faith, I guess. A lesson I feel sure that I failed in many ways. I have been so discouraged and have done a whole lot of praying and asking God to take my teeny tiny mustard seed faith and grow it.

A couple things we have learned and are learning are that God is with us, even in the dark places, where it is easy to feel His silence. And that it is SO very important to keep your eyes fixed on things above and not on earthly things. I did a lot of confessing this past weekend about where my eyes were fixed. I had to get to a place of finding my peace in my Lord and Savior and not in prayers answered or unanswered. It is a daily battle, for sure!

This past Monday, we woke up thinking, "Oh my goodness, we have 7 days left to find a place to live." I began my Monday with (reluctant) renewed vigor in my search and had several disappointments that day. On Tuesday, I gathered my waning strength and tackled the search again. Waning because sometimes it's hard to keep going after numerous disappointments in a row. Like 2 years worth. I felt very depleted and weary but somehow God gave me the strength to get through another day.

I made an appointment Wednesday to look at a condo. I went prepared with all the information I needed to fill out an application immediately, having learned my lesson from our lost house a few weeks ago. I felt sick to my stomach as we pulled up (my gma came with E and I) because the pressure felt so big.  Five days left and no other prospects to fit our family. My grandma asked if she could pray for me and she prayed specifically that I would have such peace if it was a good place.

I took a deep breath and walked inside hand-in-hand with Eliana and as soon as I walked in and started looking around, peace settled over me and I knew I found a place we could live.

And so, today, after 2 months of searching, we signed a lease to our "new" home for the next year. Praise the Lord! What a weight off. It is a condo with 3 good-sized bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms and even a small garage! We've never even had such a thing:) There is green grass out back for the kids to play and even a cute wooden playground a couple houses away for all the neighborhood kids to play on. The landlords are sweet and our children are absolutely ecstatic to finally have a place of our own! Orange door and all:) And the icing on the cake? The darling pink ceiling fan in the room where Eliana will sleep. We all walked in, spotted it, and knew that it was a oh-so-small but special way for God to say, "I'm here with you."

We have the weekend to start moving stuff over but will probably do our bigger furniture on Monday, when (hopefully) we find some help. My poor, poor piano is desperate for air!!

A few other blessings for the day: registration for the boys' new school was very easy and they start on Tuesday. It is hard to switch them again after just a week and a half of school but I think knowing we will be settling down will help them transition more easily. Please pray for a smooth transition for them, new friends and great teachers!

And to top off the day, Ben got a small raise today and was told they are going to start grooming him for a higher position in the company. Wow!

So the lesson I want to remember in all of this is that God does hear and care and even the smallest things are important to Him. Like making a little girl feel special with her very own pink ceiling fan....

Which makes her mama feel loved, too.