Last weekend the Landlord had said that he would get back to me on Tuesday this week to let me know one way or the other if he had been able to procure me a unit in the Senior's development that he had previously promised me one from. He didn't hold out much hope and was quite apologetic about the whole affair. He had told me on Friday that having to call me to tell me that there was a waiting list, blah, blah, blah was one of the most difficult phone calls he had had to make, but that he would be going to bat for me with his partner and get back to me on Tuesday.
I was incredibly disappointed to learn that there was a waiting list and that I wasn't on it. It meant that I had been waiting and not looking for these past four months,, under false hopes/pretenses. To be honest, I really didn't think that he would be able to do anything about it.
I waited all day yesterday, with my phone in my hand pretty much, hoping that it would ring with good news. Morning came and went. Afternoon came and went. No call . . .
To be honest, I started out yesterday feeling fairly hopeful, but by the early evening I was feeling pretty discouraged. By about 8pm, not having heard anything, I thought to myself, that is that. I began looking through the google search for places to rent in my area. Nothing. Zip. Nada.
The tears began to come to my eyes and I decided that I wasn't going to let my feelings defeat me and I that I needed to be looking at something positive instead of letting my discouragement get the best of me.
Someone from my old church congregation/ward in Chester had posted the link to this talk a few days ago. It was a talk by Jeffrey R Holland, given back in 2004. I love Jeffrey R Holland's talks. They are some of my favorite talks. He is such a humble and caring individual and the spirit always speaks to me through his words. I always come away feeling better about myself and the world when I listen to or read his words.
I guess I just find his words incredibly inspiring. I read this . . .
Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ—that is the first principle of the gospel. We must go forward. God expects you to have enough faith, determination, and trust in Him to keep moving, keep living, keep rejoicing. He expects you not simply to face the future; He expects you to embrace and shape the future—to love it, rejoice in it, and delight in your opportunities.
God is eagerly waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can’t if you don’t pray, and He can’t if you don’t dream. In short, He can’t if you don’t believe."
I felt a sense of peace come over me, and although the tears did come to my eyes, it was for very different reasons than just a few minutes before. I said a silent prayer in my heart to my Heavenly Father. What will be will be. I know you have a plan for me and a forever home for me somewhere. I will be patient. I will wait for as long as I need to wait and try not to let it get me down.
Trusting and waiting in patience is the hardest part of any heartfelt prayer. We are very impatient creatures. We want what we want, and we want it now. That is the nature of the human experience. Haven't we all been having our patience and faith tried over this past year and a half or so with this darned Pandemic!!! Its just going on and on and on . . .
So I was laying there on my bed in thought, reading . . . hoping . . . believing . . . trusting . . .
And my phone rang.
My phone and I are not best friends. I can never seem to answer it right away. I swish with my fingers and nothing happens. I swish to the right and to the left and usually the caller hangs up and I end up having to call them back. In fact, just two hours before I had had my sister call my phone so I could practice answering it, but to no avail. I had not been able to master the art of "answer."
Miracle of all miracles. This time the swish worked. I was able to answer it, and it was the landlord. I thought to myself . . . well at least he has been true to his word and called me to let me know. I felt that it was probably bad news. In fact as the day had worn on yesterday, and it got later and later, I was pretty much expecting that if he called, it would be with bad news. That's why I had resigned myself to looking again and had been looking.
"Marie," he said . . . "I have a unit for you."
Tears came again, but this time for very different reasons. My prayers had been answered. Right on the precipice of giving up. I was overcome with feelings of gratitude. As of the 1st of May, I will have a home to call my own!!
And, ironically, it is only a stone's throw from the home my family lived in when I was a young teen. Talk about coming full circle.
These months and weeks of preparation are about to come to fruition. I am excited and a bit afraid, but mostly grateful.
Grateful for answered prayers and personal growth. Grateful for a sister and brother-in-law who have so generously and lovingly had me in their home for all these months. I know how difficult it is when you are used to being on your own to have someone land on your doorstep with an end-date in mind, but to have someone land on your doorstep with no end-date in mind is not an easy thing to do, but they have done it, and I will always be grateful for that. For their love, kindness and generosity. I am so blessed.
So it looks like the end of the first part of my journey is on my doorstep and I am standing on the edge of the rest of my life, getting ready to dive in. I am so thankful for all the help I have been given so far.
Through it all I have learned some great lessons.
-Let your faith be bigger than your fears.
-Trust in the Lord's timing.
-Keep walking, keep believing, keep hoping.
-Trust and believe in good things to come.
As Elder Holland said in another talk of his, "Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until heaven; but for those who embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they come."
My sister and I will be going at some point to look at the place. I did find it on google earth and had a good look around the outside. It looks very nice, and it is on the same street as an acquaintance of mine from church. In fact she is our branch Relief Society President.
My sister is going this afternoon to have her Covid vaccine. Please pray it all goes well for her. Dad goes tomorrow and then all we are waiting on is Dan being able to book an appointment for his. They haven't opened up appointments for his age group yet, nor Eileen and Tim's or my other children.
I had asked the person who gave me mine why there was such a large gap in the time between shots (like 4 months) and he gave me two reasons. One, they have found that the vaccine is actually more effective with the longer wait time between doses, and two, they are trying hard to make sure that everyone in the province at least gets the first dose as soon as possible. Seems fair to me.
In the meantime, as of yesterday, there were two live cases in our area of the province. Apparently they are from people who have come in from outside and they are isolating. Two might not seem like a lot, but we know how fast this can spread. So keep being careful everyone. Stay safe and stay healthy. Keep doing what we have been asked to do.
I confess, when I see photos on IG of some younger people out there gallivanting about, unmasked, drinking, partying, etc. it does upset me a tiny bit, okay . . . a lot . . . so inconsiderate and selfish in so many ways. (rant over)
I best leave you with a thought for today . . .
° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
*Promised blessings never expire.
Just because things haven't worked out yet,
doesn't mean they won't.
~Al Caraway•。★★ 。* 。
In The English Kitchen today . . . Creamy White Chili. Deliciously different! One of my favourites!
Have a fabulous Wednesday. Be happy and be blessed. Don't forget along the way . . .
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