There haven't been any major disasters during this move, for which I'm deeply grateful, but there have been about a hundred million glitches: at least it seems that way. Almost nothing has gone the way I thought it would, or expected it to. And nothing has been as easy or uncomplicated as I would have liked. (Why is that not a surprise?) Here are just a few examples: I was supposed to pick up the moving truck a block down the street from my house but it was 15 miles away instead; I ordered two dozen furniture pads and they weren't in the truck when I got the truck to my house. The painter I hired to paint my condo, and who had come highly recommended, missed quite a few spots and I had to ask him to come back and finish up. (Monday I realized there were still more spots that needed attention, so yesterday I bought a paint brush and touched them up myself!) The large wasp nest that was in the electrical circuit box when I bought the house had been removed, as I had asked, but the wasps must have decided they liked the energy around my front door and built two new nests right in the corner above the door! (A can of Raid and a long stick later, those are both gone too!) I ordered a washer and dryer and a mattress and box springs from Sears for my new home. When the delivery men arrived, I got a mattress but no box spring (it hadn't come in yet!) and the washer fit in the laundry space, but the dryer didn't, so it had to go back. The box spring never did come in, so I had to return the mattress and buy both somewhere else. The new dryer, which just got delivered last Thursday, only fit in the laundry space if it was in there at an angle, because the vent in the back kept it from sitting close enough to the wall to allow the bi-fold doors to close without rubbing against the front of the machine. The tenant for my house in Pittsburgh never transferred the utilities into his name. I had to wait six hours at the DMV to get a Tennessee driver's license. When I turned off the air conditioner last Tuesday when the temps finally got cool enough, thinking I'd open the windows and enjoy the fresh air, the condensation leaked out of the unit and found its way to the exhaust vent in my bathroom ceiling, where it leaked through and left a puddle on the floor. I called the warranty company on Wednesday to get it repaired and by this Monday, I still hadn't heard from the repairman they said they had referred me to. (I've turned the AC back on, and it seems as long as it's running, there is no leak, so I'm letting it be for now, but I'm in the process of cancelling the home warranty and just finding a repairman on my own.) The list goes on....and on.....and on.
Like I said, nothing major. But over time, all those glitches began to add up and I began to wear down. Was this move really worth it? I have to admit the question did cross my mind.
On Monday night I offered to babysit for Hayden so Jason and Erin could have an adult night out, and so I could have some good grandma time with Hayden. As I was getting dinner ready in the kitchen, I was facing the stove and Hayden was behind me, playing. All of a sudden I felt these two little arms wrap around my legs with all their strength and for several seconds I just stood there, wrapped in that little girl's love. As I looked down, she peeked around my legs, looked up at me and laughed, and squeezed even harder. A moment later she released her grip and was off to something else. But in that moment, I had my answer: yes, even with all the glitches, this move was definitely worth it!
I know there will be more glitches: there are always glitches. But if I get to the point where they are beginning to wear me down again, I'm going to stop for a moment and feel myself wrapped in Hayden's little arms and remember why I'm here. I know just the remembering will lift me up. But if I need more, a bigger lift, I can always get in my car and take a drive, not ten hours down the road any more, but just ten minutes. And instead of just remembering, I can actually experience. How wonderful is that?
God never gives us more than we can handle ( How often have you heard that?), and in my experience, He always finds a way to lift me up, to let me know that things are ok, that He's still there for me. Whether it's an early warning that I'd have to drive further than just down the block to pick up the moving truck so I had a ride arranged (remember that angry angel?), or the rental truck guy just hopping in his truck lickety split to bring those furniture pads over when I called to tell him they were missing without giving me any attitude at all, or the extra discount Sears gave me on the new dryer because of the problems with the box spring, or those strong little arms unexpectedly wrapped around my legs when I wasn't looking, there are always signs of that Greater love that is wrapping us all up. We just have to be open and recognize them!
Hayden is so cute. What a blessing to be so close by her. She is at a great age too. I would be pulling out the play-doh, sitting down with her and starting to have some fun. :) Children have away of cheering us up. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm so glad I'm close enough now not to miss all precious moments that come with this age. But I think the play-doh will have to wait awhile: everything still goes straight from her hands into her mouth!
DeleteGreat to see your blog on Facebook! You did it( without a glitch?) Hayden is adorable
ReplyDeleteMe, too! For some reason, even though I subscribe to this blog, I don't get the email about the postings. And every time I think about it, I'm not at the computer or I'm at work, and can't check it. So I saw the post on FB at 4:30 this morning. I was awake because of a very loud and long thunderstorm. So now I was able to read it!
DeleteNo Glitches at all, except that I'm not exactly sure what I did to get it on Facebook! So we'll just see if I can do it again next time!
DeleteDid you look up wasp in the book? The one that jumps out at me is "Lead with your heart, not your mind" Sounds like Hayden was confirming that, as well. What a cool experience! Hope there are many, many more spontaneous gifts like that one from Hayden. I didn't have that many glitches with this last move - just had to deal with snow and ice, twice, and not getting a big enough truck!
ReplyDeleteNever occurred to me to look up wasps! Duh!!!! And then on Saturday I was going from the garage to the front door of my condo, and just for the few seconds the front door was open, in came a wasp! I quickly removed it, and since then, have looked at the book. There were two statements that stood out for me: "For the next few weeks, focus on fulfilling your responsibilities and personal obligations." and "Whatever you've dreamed of doing, put some plans into action that will help you realize them." I think I really need to concentrate on getting the rest of the boxes unpacked and start making some plans to get back into my work! Both great messages! thanks for the wasp(s), God!
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