For This House We Prayed

Throw back to this post-
 http://fromthepicklejar.blogspot.com/2013/06/home-sweet-home.html 

In 2 weeks, we'll close on the sale of our house.  I wrote this when we got the first offer... now on our 4th, it looks like we finally get to close in just 2 short weeks.  These words are still relevant.

I know I haven't been good at keeping up with this blog.  My how busy we have been! Big things: We went to Disney World back in December (which was amazing...perhaps I'll eventually blog about that experience.).. Just before we left for Disney, we received word that my husband's job was surplussed.  We were heartbroken and scared.  We knew not what the future held for us, but for an entire week in Disney World, we didn't worry about it at all. We needed that week, and feel so blessed we were able to do that.  Just a few days before his last day - the company offered my husband a position in Summerville, SC (which is just a few minutes from Charleston, SC).  He took it - and I began to look for a job down there.  Our kids came to grips with the impending move (first verse of Patty Loveless hit "How Can I Help You Say Goodbye" became a reality)...

Lots of tears and emotions later: We moved to Ladson beginning of June.  Perfect middle to Summerville and Charleston. I found a job in Charleston... scratch that. God had a hand in that one. Let's take a moment to talk about it. I really wasn't sure where to begin. I'd been in the copier industry 12.5 years. A vendor tells me to call Saulisbury Business Machines. I asked if they were hiring, and she said no, but to call them anyways.
I felt a little embarrassed, calling a random business out of the blue.  So it took me 3 days to even work up the courage to call them. The gentleman on the phone was nice, but said that they were not hiring.  He invited me to send my resume anyways.  He also said the people that need to meet to discuss if they want to hire or not, would probably not be able to get back to me for at least a month.
They called me back 1 week later and scheduled an interview. 1 day after interview, they called and offered me the job.  They offered me better pay.  They offered me a chance to earn back the time off I worked so hard for at my previous job. They prayed with me.  So... the "proof is in the pudding".... God had a hand in that one.

Back on subject! The sale of our first home. We are currently renting an adorable townhome and the girls are spoiled with their own bathrooms, a pool next door, and a beach just a short drive away. And we know God's got an amazing 2nd home planned for us when we are ready to buy down here. Things are good and God is great.

That said... here is a poem I wrote about our home in Greer.  We worked so very hard to save our money so that we had enough down payment to buy a home.  We never imagined we'd be able to afford such a beautiful home in the best neighborhood in Greer. We love and miss our neighbors dearly and wish them and the new owners blessings and new friendships.

For This House We Prayed - by Stephanie McKain Pilkenton

We saved every penny,
We worked hard at our jobs.
We prayed that someday,
Somehow we would be approved to buy.
For this house we prayed.

We couldn't believe it.
The moment came at long last.
"You're approved"
Two words we thought we'd never hear.
For this house we prayed.

We looked at a dozen homes.
Each one we liked but didn't fit.
Wrong location, or layout, or style.
Overwhelmed with options.
For this house we prayed.

Realtor says, look at this one!
outside of our comfort zone, no.
Realtor says, just look at it, and see
So we did. Glad we did!
For this house we prayed.

Is this real life?
This beautiful home, was ours
We were homeowners.
Thanks be to God!
For this house we prayed.

Social Media memories
We scroll through post after post
Of each year we celebrated
Still in awe of this gift from God.
For this house we prayed.

A door is closed and another door opens.
Plans changed in an instant.
We have to move, For Sale sign goes up.
We pray for every step we take.
For this house we prayed.

Movers came
The rooms are empty again.
We pray for comfort
We must leave this place.
For this house we prayed.

As closing approaches,
A new family's prayers answered
We say goodbye to this gift from God
And look on to the next step of God's plan.
For this house we prayed.

Congrats to the new owners,
Hope they love this house as much as we did
Prayers for them in their beautiful home
And for us as we move to another beautiful place.
For this house we prayed.

Young, Able, and There's A Need for Kindness

This past Friday night, I took my kids shopping for school supplies.  In other words, I took 2 kids to Wal-Mart on a Friday night and became utterly exhausted by checking lists and following them around the store looking for each item in the colors they wanted.  Tired is really not a word that does any of that justice.  Any one who has even just one child, knows that the school shopping adventure is like none other.  

That said, you can imagine how little energy I had after we had finally checked out (mind you- 2 shopping carts full, 1 with school supplies and the other with needed groceries) and made our way into the parking lot.  As we walked towards the car, we noticed people had left their shopping carts all over the parking lot, not a single one made it to the cart holder.

Don't get too upset, there is an explanation. Yes, sometimes people do just leave them without putting them away in the cart holder.  But in this situation, there had been a pretty intense storm while we were in Wal-Mart.  So more than likely, these were the carts of those that ran out into the rain, jumped in their cars and left.

The rain had stopped just 10 minutes before we checked out, thankfully for us.  So, after the girls helped me unload our carts, they were each taking one of our carts to the cart holder.  As they were taking the carts, I grabbed one of the other carts in the lot and said to my kids "We are young, we are able, and we should show kindness to our world whenever we can. Let's put up all these carts." 

My girls didn't argue or whine, they just started grabbing carts.  Together, we put all the carts away into the cart holder. Once the lot was tidy, we walked back to our car to go home.  A man saw us and stopped us, thanking us for what we had done.  This simple thing of putting shopping carts away, had made this strangers day. 

I hope and pray my kids will remember what we did in that parking lot of Wal-Mart, and pay attention when there's a need for kindness.  Especially in this world we live in today.  The world really could use more people simply being kind to the world and people around them.

We are young, we are able, and there's a need for kindness - everywhere!