Letting Go=Simplifying

If you know me, you know that I am a planner.  I love to make lists, I love to plan for today, tomorrow and five years from now.  So this spring, the plan was to sell our house.  If you have read my previous post, we had a lot of showings.  Like 82 total...in 8 weeks.  It was at that time that Mike and I both felt we needed to let go of the idea of moving for the time being.  This does not mean we are staying in this house forever, but it does mean that we need to listen to God's plan for us.  So thankful that we are on the same page!  We took our house off of the market on May 15...two months after listing it.  Right now, we feel like we will wait a year and try again.

That felt so good...changing my plan because I knew that we were being led in a different direction.  The letting go did not stop there.  This past year I have choreographed 10 shows.  For those that are not familiar with theatre, that is a lot in one year!  Don't get me wrong, I love working on shows...the progress you see from start to finish; the relationships you build as you work together to create something for the stage; the audiences that get to sit and enjoy each production.  It's all so satisfying.  That being said, I was gone from my family a lot...after school, evenings, weekends.  Mike and I were tag team parenting, and it was hard.  I saw a quote that said, "Leadership opportunities will always be available to you, but your children will only be this age once."  (Totally paraphrased...)  This led me to realize that choreographing should not be my number one priority...so I resigned from several shows.  Wow!  That was hard, but so freeing. 

So...my one word for the year...SIMPLIFY...has finally started producing the fruit I was expecting months ago.  I was able to say no to some people that I love...my friends/colleagues.  And guess what??  They understood!  They were not mad or frustrated with me...disappointed?  Maybe...I mean I am too!  One week later I feel great about my decisions and I am resting in the fact that I am following God's plan for my family.  Can't wait to see what simplifying will provide for us in the months and years to come!

Parade of Homes Tour...

Our house has been on the market for 51 days.  In those 51 days we have had 73 showings...but who's counting?  This has been a time of excitement and disappointment for Mike and me.  The emotional roller coaster of real estate is really ridiculous.  There was one night we were expecting an offer from a buyer...I was elated.  There was a weight lifted off of my shoulders I flew through my day laughing, frolicking, and thinking anything was possible in my life.  Then we get the call...they decided on another house last minute.  Instantly my list was never ending and everything my children did got on my nerves. 

On Sunday morning I mentioned to Mike that our timing might be off...maybe we were jumping the gun on putting our house on the market.  (Our original thoughts were a year from now.)  We both decided to just pray on that for a bit.  After all, we are in no rush either way.  So we headed to church and I went to teach my 2nd grade Sunday School class.  It is the start of a new month, which means the start of a new virtue...and wouldn't you know, our virtue this month is "patience."  (OK God...I get it!)  Patience is described as waiting until later for what you want now.  What a simple definition for a very difficult word to embrace.  Right now I want a bigger house, I want to know where my oldest will attend first grade, I want to live closer to the schools where I work, and the list can go on.  The reality is that God is asking me to wait...to trust...and to live where I am for the time being.

So the real estate roller coaster continues...and as for the parade of homes tour?  I think we are the most popular house.  Who knows where we will be from this point forward...we are choosing to put our trust in the Lord.  He will guide us...and I pray we are smart enough to listen! :)