Okay...really, this time

In true God-like form, we were finally able to close on our new (to us) home! I put an exclamation mark there because it seems more appropriate, but I don't really feel the exclamation in my heart. I have been too scarred by disappointment in this deal that I now find myself completely unable to feel truly excited about this.  To top it off, any excitement is squelched by the sheer panic over having to move in THREE days while working full time and having the kids in school, etc, etc, etc!  Good thing over half of my house has been packed up for past month plus, right!??

I will try to keep the story short, and I don't think we even know the half of it after speaking to the couple from the title agency that came to us to do the closing this evening. It sounds like they were scurrying all day to get the paperwork together and cross all the Ts and dot all the Is. Such an orchestration...all part of God's plan. So many people involved...amazing. Really. Nothing short of miraculous. Apparently, the seller had a CASH offer for at least $10,000 more than what we had agreed to (we heard 2 different stories and don't know really which to believe) and still chose to agree to sell us the house even though our contract expired on Monday at 4pm. We received word on Tuesday morning that the bank had finally gotten the mortgage underwritten (in record time actually) and that they would go ahead and put the closing package on the seller's desk that night. The seller would not discuss anything until he got the closing package and we weren't sure he would accept it and he was certainly not obligated to. We received word around 1pm that he had agreed and signed the papers to make the house ours. I had just a couple hours notice to let my boss know I would need to leave early to go close the deal. Paul had to scurry around to get a cashier's check for our down payment and all the other fees that go with closing (sickening, actually), pick up the kids from school, and rush over to the insurance office and get the certificate of coverage necessary to close. WHEW, really the scurrying is just beginning! We want to paint the entire house except the bathrooms and laundry room, so we certainly have our work cut out for us for the next few days...oh, and we never felt confident enough to ask for time off, so we both have a full work week! Oh well, we will just have to make do!

We are still not sure why God chose to allow this to play out like it did.  However, I have a sneaking suspicion that we had something to learn in it, and that our kids did too.  As we were driving home, Gabe said, "I think God wanted us to know that He could be trusted." Yes, I think that was it too. I knew that all along, it was just so hard Monday to see how this was going to be resurrected when it seemed surely too far gone. I have so appreciated words of encouragement from some of you along the way. Prayers you sent up for our peace...we felt peace so many times when we really shouldn't have. Prayers for God to work a miracle...we got our miracle! Some of you just cared enough to ask how we were holding up...precious reminders of His love pouring through you. We are humbled and blessed.  We love each of you!