Almost a year has passed since our big move to the city. It feels like so much has happened since then. At this time last year, our old house was completely torn apart. The last thing I was thinking of was cooking a turkey or putting up a Christmas tree. There were boxes everywhere. We had an offer on our home, but we still had no idea where we were going to hang our hat.Being empty nesters, our opportunities were a little bit wider. We didn’t have to worry about schools or kids in the neighborhood. We could look for something totally different and out of the box. We could live anywhere we wanted to. Except a year ago at this time, I didn’t know where that place would be.
I was getting discouraged! We both already decided we wanted to downsize. We both agreed that moving would give us the opportunity to get rid of a lot of our stuff. We were ready for a clean slate. Less stuff, new area – we had an open mind and we were ready! My husband (Mr. Level Head) convinced me that the right house would find us and we would be fine. It was out there, we just hadn’t connected with it yet. So we packed, and purged our stuff and kept our minds open and our hearts open even wider.
Except still no new home. Thanksgiving was approaching. We prayed, searched the paper, went online and spread the word. We had to be out soon (thank God we had actually sold our large home in such an icky market), because the new owners wanted to take possession at closing.
Well, fast forward almost a year. I am writing this in my new home office. It has a view of downtown. Just like my wise husband 
said, the house was waiting for us. It has 125 year old charm and stories and tons of warmth. It has good juju. It has (very friendly) ghosts of Christmas’s past. It has wonderful, friendly and fun neighbors. It has character and happiness and it exudes love. It was waiting for us.
said, the house was waiting for us. It has 125 year old charm and stories and tons of warmth. It has good juju. It has (very friendly) ghosts of Christmas’s past. It has wonderful, friendly and fun neighbors. It has character and happiness and it exudes love. It was waiting for us. I have never looked back. Even though we only moved 15 minutes away, I have not even driven by my old home. Don’t get me wrong – we absolutely loved it. It was perfect for us and our family. It was a season of life that served us well. But that chapter is closed. Thank goodness it had a happy ending.
I absolutely love, love, LOVE our new home. My husband loves our home. Our dogs love our home. Our kids love visiting our home. Our grandkids love our home. Our friends love our home. And our home feels the love. It is happy to have its halls filled once again. It stands tall with pride. Our home takes its job quite seriously. It gladly gives us shelter, warmth and love. It gives us comfort and coziness and strength. It had been looking for us for a while. Thank God it found us.
It may be going a little over-board, but this year I am making up for not decorating our old house last year. I can’t wait to cook a turkey, and I already have all my goodies to make Christmas cookies. My husband has the outside lights up and we’ve gotten down the boxes (and boxes) of decorations.
I have much to feel thankful for this season. I have an incredible spouse and partner, the best kids and daughter-in-laws on the planet, some pretty incredible grandkids (with two more on the way), a wonderful family and in-laws, the best friends and neighbors in the world and some loving and sweet furry four-legged kids. This house is the perfect way to end a year of thanks –and the perfect jump start to a new and exciting future. I learned quite a lesson this past year. I learned to just breathe – that the answer is always out there. I learned that we are all blessed in so many ways, and that we are always taken care of no matter what. I learned that the best way to live is to give up the (seeming) control and let the Universe and God do their thing. I learned that sometimes less is more. And I have learned that it’s not stuff that makes me happy – it is love and people and relationships that make me happy.
I have so much to be thankful for, but mostly I am thankful for all that I have learned. I am thankful for the patience that I have finally acquired and the faith that I have gained strength from. No matter what type of dwelling you reside in, I pray that you are feeling the blessings and gifts that are meant to be yours. I am sending all of you a ton of Thanksgiving blessings and love – from our home to yours.
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