Oh, I have a treat for you today.
I met Cheryl way, way back when I was 14 and she was 13 and she has always been the sweetest thing since chocolate cake. Well, this past week Cheryl became a grandmother for the very first time and so at Facebook (where lovely reunions and sharings of joy happen everyday) she showed us this photo of her and her husband first meeting their tiny, new grandson. Now prepare yourself, for this is one lovely picture:
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Oh my. Do you love that? As her aunt (who I've also known nearly 40 years) said at Facebook, the raw emotion shows through. And what a sweet baby, too.
I adore that photo and I just wanted to share it with those of you who understand why. We all get slapped with tons of bad news online and so I believe we need extra, mega-doses of good news to remind us that, yes, right and sweet and holy things still take place every single day.
Never let anyone steal your joy. Instead keep it, enjoy it--then spill it over onto others all over the place.
Have a blessed Saturday. Let's all count how many things are going right today.
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Cheryl's mom and I kept in-touch by way of snail mail for more than 30 years and now we can chat any time we wish by way of Facebook. Jeanette is one of the blessings nearest the top of my blessings list.
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Guess what? Cher did work some magic and the deal is back on. (See my last post if you have no idea what I'm talking about.)
We'll lower our asking price by $1,500, keep (well, sell the tractor we were going to throw into the deal) and our buyers will come up with an additional $4,000 for a downpayment which will make its way to us. It's a fair compromise. As I've been saying all along, they really, really want this house. Frankly, they're welcome to it.
Please don't ask me to repeat that. heh.
Just thought I'd let you know! Thanks so much for your prayers. I think Tom and I passed this test--no one threw a temper tantrum, nobody begged God for his/her own will to be done nor made silly, frantic promises. We stayed peaceful and viewed it all as a win-win situation.
Maybe we're finally catching-on after all. Growing-up. Maybe.
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Uh-oh. Rough times again.
The bank appraisal was re-evaluated and they are not budging. It's still coming in $5,500 less than the price we'd settled on with our buyers.
We can't do that. That was the money we needed to make Hobbit Cottage more winter-friendly and it's not like we have tons of other money coming in, at least not right now.
So you know? Tom and I sat here yesterday (downing vanilla Oreos since my head can't handle chocolate anymore--how unfair is that at times like these?) and discussed forgetting this whole thing. Just staying here until we move out-of-state.
I mean, hey--Naomi found an apartment and will move away so I'll get Upstairs Land back to myself. I felt more peaceful about this place all week and Tom promised to do more of the mowing outside, himself (yeah, I'll get that in writing and hey! He asked me to put a few things in writing, like I promise not to get all crabby if we must stay here, etc.).
And Tom can even have the whole living room as his official man cave. Doesn't matter anymore--just give me a getaway of my own upstairs and I'll be fine.
We'd still hold the huge yard sale and live here with less stuff--so much so--that the walls would echo (I can dream.) And we'd still rescue two more cats. Soon.
But then Tom spoke with Cher on the phone.
And long story short, she's going to try to make this work so that everybody's happy. Good luck to her, but hey-- if anyone can do that, Super Realtor Cher can.
So we shall see what we shall see.
What I'm grateful for? I've learned not to hold anything by its throat, whining, "If I can't have ________ then I cannot be happy ever."
I know better than that. I've been taught better by my years and experiences and by God, Himself.
No, there's only one 'thing,' one Person who I must have in order to be happy. And I think you all know just Who that is.
Stay tuned.
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The movie, The Source Code, is arriving today via Netflix. Oh my, perfect timing! I've longed to see that film since the first mili-second I saw the advertisement, for that's probably always been my favorite genre of film--I'm talking since I was a kiddo watching hokey Sci-Fi on Saturday afternoons.
Anyone else see it? Without giving anything away, what did you think? シ
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"My times are in your hands, oh Lord..." ... Psalm 31:15
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