Thank You

The judge was so very kind as she leaned across the desk and spoke the words I had feared.

“I am going to order you to sell the house”

I know this is hard, she went on to explain. I know it feels like its too much, and it hurts. But you are strong, she said. You will thank me for making this decision for you. It is what is best for you and your kids, even if it doesn’t feel like it right now.

I believed her.

And still.

I was so angry. So SAD.

As a missionary who has been without roots for my entire marriage, this was home was the first time I ever felt that it would be ok to dig deep.

To settle in. To dream about a future in a PLACE I loved.

It hurt too much to stay in the anger and sadness.

And so I began a daily practice of thanking the day after the trial.

I want to share with you some of my Thank You prayers.

Thank you for this gate that opens to the park. It makes me deeply satisfied to remember working on this project with my children’s daddy. The hope realized of a place they could run and ride and wonder and explore was wonderful.

Thank you for the Osprey. Watching them come back this spring was a singular joy and source of hope rising. They mate for life. Their nest had been knocked down last fall, and there was a lot of speculation in the neighborhood about if they would rebuild here or move. They screamed about their nest for a week, then set to rebuilding. This morning, I watched one of them bring a fish back to the young.

Thank you for a patio big enough for trikes in the rainy part of the year. Thank you for a patio for parties and family and dinners and coffee.

Thank you for a fire pit. Thank you for kids who loves smores and friends who have sat with me around this fire and loved and cried with me.

Thank you for this home-coming fireplace. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it.  Thank you, sir, for the mantel you built me out of a railroad tie. It is beautiful in every way.

Thank you for the squirrel we look for and laugh at every day!

Thank you for the color. For the herbs and the flowers and all the peace and joy they offered.

Thank you for the hope of living in a place long enough that it would be worth planting an apple tree. I hope the future owners of the home love this, too.

Thank you for the “park”. Thank you for the neighbors who gave us the pieces, and a daddy who knew how to make it extra special and sturdy. Thank you for all the neighbor kids who have found refuge and popsicles with us here.