Tearing down to build up

Christmas tree is down, lights and ornaments packed away carefully.

Lenten icons are up, Christmas icons packed.

I am going home to Western MI in a week's time, 

a week tomorrow.

God willing I will be in church everyday this week, for the beginning 

of Lent, which is called Clean Week.

With yesterday being a feast day and my Husband took the day off for it, 

and then the news of my Aunt K, shocking...;

I was so confused this morning, I thought yesterday was a 2 day weekend 

and that today was Monday.

Why was my friend posting on IG about it being Friday?

Why is it that one minute one is fine and happy and joyful

and the next minute everything changes, dynamically, suddenly

and the sword is thrust in and goes out silently, quickly,

without visible change and yet everything is changed?

I finally did the second book order for my church book sale,

that we thought would be 2 times this Lent, 

this Sunday and then later.

But now there is snow on the way; we don't know if we can travel there

or not and such. 

I've had this icon of Christ the Good Shepard lit for my Aunt;

it is Christ who will take her safely through the valley of death....

I am getting this book on the mystery of death and from the chapter headings, I think

it will be a good read for me right now.

I woke to this song inside me, welling up, expressing everything...

What I told my Grandma

{from a few weeks back*}

At home in my kitchen, calling my Grandma and leaving 

a message on her answering machine...

Hi Grandma, It's Elizabeth... well... [Mr. Husband] and I are going to 

see a condo tomorrow that we both like,

can you pray for us?

*

A few days later... in my kitchen again... calling and leaving a message...

Hi Grandma, we found out yesterday that our landlord is selling his condo

and we don't want to buy it...

we've been told that we will have a letter from the lawyer soon...

this place will sell fast... so we are seeing the condo we liked 

again tomorrow morning,

can you pray for us about that?

We're thinking of putting in an offer.

*

A day later, my Grandma is a wonderful busy lady, I left a message again...

Hi Grandma, so we are under contract and just waiting 

for a few things to work out,

it's hard to wait, our landlord's coming with his realtor,

we know it will be any day that we can get our 60 days notice...

keep praying for us... 

*

Finally I called and she answered.

I told her more about the condo we want to buy,

about the waiting for answers we need,

about wanting attorney review over so no one else can put in an offer,

about how the condo we want has great light, is spacious,

near friends, in the town close to our local church

and is beautiful.

Only missing a garden and kitchen window

but really has everything we need,

we would be so happy there...

*

A week or so later I got hold of her again,

and realized I forgot to tell her that we were finally done with attorney review,

just waiting for the house inspection.

We were not worried, I told her, it's a fairly new building,

should not have many problems...
*
We were right, there were no real problems on home inspection...
*

I am choosing paint chips and doing floor designs for 

furniture placement and figuring out what we need...

* 

We got our 60 days notice of needing to move 

night before we finished attorney review.

*

We hope to close in early May

and move in late May.

*

Pray for us!

Mr. Husband and I are going to own a home together,

one that I saw how quickly God gave us,

introducing us to our new home

just a day before we would get word that we would have to

leave our first lovely home...

that Mr. Husband has been renting for over two years.

*

It's a huge transition to us,

this move to a nearby town, another bed-sitting community of NYC in 

New Jersey.... closer to friends, church and whatever comes next.

*

Thank God that we 

found more than what we could of hoped for, 

just where we were hoping to land.

*

*this all took place unbelievably in the space of three weeks time.
We are told that this is normal for where we live!