A Place to Rent

It's official. I now know that Grace is amazing.

Remember the one-bedroom rental I told you about? Well, on Thursday night Tom and I went and viewed it with the landlord. The tiny place was nearly perfect. The price was perfect (only $425 with heat and water included(!)). The galley-style kitchen was perfect (tons of storage and counter space, more than I have now). Even the laundry closet in the kitchen/dining area enchanted me because for 14 years I've done laundry in our deep, dark, dungeon-like basement.

After viewing the place, the landlord said he had another couple to show it to on Saturday morning and he'd call us around dinner-time that night.

But tired of searching for a house (and with time seeping away), we longed to grab him by the collar and say, "Listen. Forget that other couple. We'll give ya the first four months' rent right here on the spot!" But we refrained, went home, and tried to stay positive. And ok... I prayed that God would give us favor with the landlord. :)

Yet only one thing made us hesitate about the apartment--there's around twenty feet of sidewalk which Tom will have to walk along, which means, Debra's job will be to keep it clear of snow. I mean, actually, the landlord said he shovels it, but I know better than to rely on someone else to keep sidewalks ice-free enough for Tom, what with his bad leg and having to use a cane now, etc.

And too, we (mostly I) will have to return to clearing snow off of our car, but we (mostly I) did that for at least twenty years, so we (mostly I) will just do it again. But hey, this is a one-bedroom tiny place and since we'll be storing the majority of our junk, er, nicest things in a unit, what else will I have to do with my time? (Frankly, we're toying with just storing our computer and using the ones at the town library, instead. Which would free-up, oh, a thousand hours each week for me.)

So this morning--early-- the landlord called. He didn't even show the other couple the place--he said we could rent the apartment. He'd pretty much made up his mind about us after meeting us, he told me. (Maybe some godly favor coming into play there?).

But whatever, it's ours as of January 1st. After the call, I went to arrange the furniture in my mind inside the tiny living room--and I realized I'd already done that after returning home on Thursday night. Already I'd arranged the whole minuscule place inside my head, down to where I'd store our dvd's.

So where does the amazing Grace of my opening line come in? Right here--years ago, I'd have dreaded moving into a tiny one bedroom place in an old house with two other families. I'd have been way, way too insecure to do that ("what will everyone think?"). And I'd have needed all my possessions around me like good ol' Linus needed his blanket.

But now, today? I'm excited--and grateful. I can't wait. I can't wait to 'play house' in that tiny apartment on the other side of town. I'm actually anticipating finding a place for everything and putting everything in it's (mega-small) place. And I'm looking forward to making for Tom and myself, a cozy sweet home where we'll live for a few months while waiting to hear from God about where to go next.

And it's after seeing all these changes in my own head and heart that I know--absolutely--that Grace truly, truly is amazing.