Thoughts of Home

Happy Thanksgiving!

This will be my first Thanksgiving away from family.
It’s just Patrick, Aiden, and me this year.

I am not one to get homesick,
but thinking about missing Thanksgiving makes me miss “home.”

My dad was in the Coast Guard, so we moved around a lot when I was younger.  When I was 4 (my sister was 3), we moved from Missouri to Maryland.  After less than a year, we moved to Alabama where I started kindergarten.  My parents bought a house part way into the school year, so I went to first grade at a different school.  The summer after first grade, my dad was transferred to California.  We were there for one year (almost to the day).  My brother was born on my 8th birthday just 2 months before we moved from California to Virginia – talk about a move!  We stayed in Virginia for 4 years.  Then, we moved “home” to Missouri.  I put home in quotes because the only home I had every known was with my family – my mama, dad, sister, and brother.  We visited relatives for a week or two every summer, but “home” was wherever we were living at the time.

We spent Thanksgiving and Christmas with just the 4 or 5 of us when we didn’t live in Missouri.  When we moved back, the celebration grew.  My mom hosted Thanksgiving, and my Grandma hosted Christmas.  There was always tons of food and tons of love.

In college, I met my husband and joined his family’s celebrations of Thanksgiving and Christmas.  For 11 years, we have celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas with our family (except for the year we lived in Texas – we came home for Thanksgiving but not Christmas).

It just did not work out for us to go back to Missouri this year.

It doesn’t feel like the end of November – it’s still in the 80s here in Florida.
I am preparing gifts for our family.  That makes it feel like it’s almost December.

I feel like I’m stuck in limbo right now “home” wise.
We started searching for a house in April. (We moved here in August.)
We had a contract on a house in June, but it was a short sale, so we had to await bank approval.  The bank finally got around to making a counteroffer in September.  We chose not to accept the counteroffer.  The house was not exactly what we wanted, and for the price, we could have gotten something more ideal.  Since then, we have made offers on 6 other houses.  We had a contract on another house, but it didn’t appraise for the asking price.  The sellers didn’t want to sell it for less, so we had to walk away from that one, too.

Many of our things are still packed away in boxes, and some of it is in storage.  I am torn between unpacking everything to make this little temporary condo feel more like home and just dealing with all of the empty, sterile walls.  We are considering giving up on the house search and just renting a bigger place.  The problem is the larger rentals cost just as much or more than a house payment – it doesn’t seem worth it from a financial standpoint.

I know there’s a home out there for us.  I just wish we could find it sooner rather than later.  Some say, “Ask and you shall receive.”  Matthew 21:22 says, “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”  How blatant and bold can you be though?  I know that God answers – just sometimes He says, “Not yet.”  And sometimes, He just flat out says, “No.”  I can understand the reasons why those 7 houses did not work out {most of them anyway}, but why can’t we find one that will work out?  Well, God I’m asking – if it’s in Your will, please let us find a house soon.  I trust that things will work out.  Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Thanks for reading my thoughts on home.  Feel free to download the verse and use it for your own personal use.  {Left click to open it in a new window; then, right click and save.}  I have other printables you are welcome to as well.

I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving.  Remember God is good!

Much love,