I am having a lot of difficulty with today’s post. Not because
it is a hard subject to address, or because it is personally painful. No, it is
simply I don’t know where to begin. In less than 2 weeks my husband will be
working in the Oklahoma City area. We originally thought that by now I would be
preparing to move with him. Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men…
When we first discovered that his job was to be transferred we
had some big decisions to make. Would he accept the transfer offer? Or leave
Boeing and try to find other employment in a Wichita economy that was not in an
upswing. Would he commute on the weekends? Renting a studio apartment in OKC
and driving the 2½ hours back to Derby each weekend. Or would we jump in with
both feet, and leave a town we had both been raised in, and move? Leaving our
married children, an elderly father, and a church we loved behind.
At first we both liked the commuting idea, but then I felt
this was selfish on my part. My husband has 3½ years before early retirement is
an option. That did not seem so bad, but the reality was that staying with
Boeing until full retirement age made the most sense. Commuting for 13 to 15
years? Not a pretty picture. So moving it was…until December.
By December we were pretty discouraged. Only one offer had been made on our
home, and it had been a joke. We felt we had chosen the wrong realtor, the
wrong time to sell, and were trying desperately to understand God’s plan for
us. My daughter admonished me at one point for my lack of faith, saying “The
buyer isn’t ready yet.” At this point we began making plans for my husband to
move without me. A prospect that worried me as I depended on him to help me
with things my back wouldn’t allow me to accomplish on my own.
Well, as always, God is sovereign. On a December evening we received
the joyful news that we were to become grandparents! My daughter was unexpectedly
pregnant! While happy, they were concerned. They had hoped to be in a larger
home before having children, in fact they often commented they wished they had
a large enough down payment to buy our home. No one remembers who mentioned it
first, but suddenly the idea was flying around the room. Move in here, sell
your home, and save for the down payment needed. My husband would commute for
the time being and I would remain here.
It is not a solution for everybody, and six weeks later there
have been a few little bumps…mostly dealing with having 2 extra dogs in the
household. But I believe it is the ideal solution for us. Everybody was on
board, and in fact excited about the changes. We all feel prayers have been
answered. My daughter and son-in-law will be able to provide me the help I
need, while in return I get to help with a little one.
Think we are making a mistake? This will ruin our
relationships? Wait for my next post…you might be surprised what the research
shows. ~Marla
No comments:
Post a Comment