Creature of Change

So apparently, I am a person of change.  I didn’t think I was, because I like routine and I like things in the proper place.  But, I do like change.  Especially when I am the one making change.

But, here is an observation about me.  It seems that every two years, there must be a change of significance in my life.  In my mind, it just happens.  It’s not like I am looking at the old calendar and am thinking, “Two years is about up.  Time to shake things up.”  Whether it is a restlessness on my part or circumstance or God keeping me unsettled, I do not know.  Nonetheless, change happens.

I am not sure when it started, but I can track the last fourteen years.  Our small church move to a different building to reduce costs.  Two years later we stopped having church services and I became an assistant manager at an off price retail store.  Two years later, my wife suddenly passed away and I was alone. 

Two years later, I married my most precious and lovely T.  Two years later, my son I. is born premature and I change jobs to a different company to manage.  Two years later, I quit my job and become a stay at home dad and husband.  Two years later, our family moves to the coast and I am a full time pastor at a local church by the Pacific Ocean. 

Which brings us to 2014.  Two years and I guess it is time for a change.  It turns out that we had an opportunity, at least for the next six months, to live in a different home. We had lived about two years at a little cottage.  It was tiny, it was old, it wasn’t well insulated. 

The sun room had plastic roofing which let the sun in and made it quite warm and charming.  But man, when it rained, it was so loud that you couldn’t have a conversation without yelling. And in order to watch TV, my wife and I plugged in headphones and had the close captioning on so we could hear.

For all of the loveliness, there were some issues.  Rodents in the walls, a continual stream of ants, the cramped space confinements.  The biggest issue was not having the ability to have people over.  You could come over to eat, you could come over to sleep, but it was difficult to sit and relax and have conversation as the living room only accommodated a love seat, one cushioned chair, and one rattan chair, which blocked the bookshelf.

But today, as I write we are so grateful, so blessed, that we have been provided by the Provider a home that has doubled, if not more, our living space.  It has a huge front room.  Last night we had a home Bible group there and fourteen people attended.  And we still had room for more. 

It has a dining room, and we have added a leaf to our dinner table.  The kitchen is wide and long enough to have three or four in there comfortably.  There is a den area where we have the television, T.’s digital piano, folding chairs (‘cause we don’t have the furniture to fill it), and my printer set up.

Two bedrooms, one for the boy and a master for us.  And get this, two bathrooms.  One for the boy and for guests, and a double sink, separate tub and shower in the master bedroom.  We have a two car garage, which at the present holds our Honda CRV on one section, and I.’s construction toys in the other.  He’s been playing Gold Rush.

There is a large (15 ½ by 15 ½) bonus room behind the garage.  We are trying to set it up for a guest room for family, friends, and visitors to enjoy.  There is a dedicated laundry room. There is no yard to speak of.  The house has a concrete driveway that, kind of circles the house.  We had parking for nine vehicles and on the side of the house there is room for an RV with electrical hook-ups.

There is a fenced part in the back where one can go and play and for future BBQ’s. It is also cemented.  There are enough windows to let in the natural light and it keeps the inside temperature reasonably consistent.

We are only a block from the ocean and as you look between the row of houses in front of us, there is a partial view of the ocean, of the bay and of the mountain.  I have for the past four days enjoyed my coffee and did my writing peering out the window and watching the waves come in and out.

This two year change was a good one for us.  It gave us the much desirable room that we needed. and the rent is a little bit cheaper. And it gave us a peaceful view and it feels good.  The house is for sale and that is why we only have a six month lease.  But for the next one hundred and eighty days, we will enjoy this great gift.

 

And I will hang around to see what change awaits me in two years.