Debt-free--and Homeless!

The day we were moving out of our home in Colorado dawned dark with clouds, unusual for Colorado.

I had suffered through some sleepless hours the night before--just great to have such a short night behind me on such a big day, right?

Closing had actually happened, by some miracle it seemed, the day before. 

Jonathan and I had stopped to pull up the For Sale signs at the end of Sweet Road.

And friends (our real friends came out of the woodwork those last few weeks, as they came out to help or to say goodbye or to invite us for a meal) took Jonathan and me out to Guadalajara Mexican restaurant one evening while all their children and ours got together at the friends' home.

And Jonathan ordered a "Loco" entre, perfect, he said, for the ending to our crazy days trying to get ready to move!

It seemed too surreal to be true. The house we'd lived in for 21 years, 

 

the house four of our children were born in, the house all our children have known as "home" now for all their growing up years,

now belonged to someone else. 

 

We were debt free at last!

But where on earth were we to lay our heads the next night? We weren't going to be able to start the trip for South Dakota so late in the afternoon. We were to turn over the key to the new buyer at 3 p.m. that afternoon, and be out of there.  

And then what? Jonathan and I were so concentrated on getting our stuff out of the house and barn and sheds that we hadn't made a plan yet.

"Foxes have holes," our Lord said once, "and the birds of the air have nests."

But where will the Lucas family lay their heads?

I was tempted to be very, very, very grumpy that night I couldn't sleep for a while. 

What on earth had we gotten ourselves into?

Not to speak of what we were going to be involved in up in South Dakota--if we could get there.

But morning light usually brings a brighter atmosphere. The sun was trying to peek through, and the tulips a friend had given me were blooming on the window sill.

And I couldn't help thinking of the song, "Behind every dark cloud shines the smiling face of Jesus."

That was one bouquet I chose to take with me to South Dakota.

The others I shared out to my daughters and a friend who came to help clean. 

One of those friends who came to help was Katherine Gafford, who cleaned nearly every last kitchen cupboard for me a couple days before we moved. What a blessing she was! It was so fun having her! And she even brought a pasta casserole and brownies. 

Of course, when you are supposed to leave working appliances after selling, those appliances start giving you troubles! The fridge quit working three times.

Finally Jonathan figured out the problem was a loose wire! He'd ordered a part which we didn't need and could return.

The washer, which we actually were to take with us and which had worked without fail for many years, was showing an "Error" reading.

Then the stove had a burner that only worked on high and burnt our food! Jonathan ordered a part which turned out to be the wrong one from the factory. We couldn't get the right part in time to close on the house, but the part was on the way.

Thankfully the buyer of the house said they actually were buying a new stove and not to worry about it! 

Rose and Tommy trying to figure out something...  

And there I was the morning of the move, writing out checks to pay off debts--and rushing to pack my personal belongings so I could leave after lunch to get my final Vitamin C IV treatment at the clinic in town. 

I would have to leave the last minute packing and cleaning for others. Jonathan's dad and new wife Ruth brought delicious Papa Murphy's pizzas and salad for us.  And Mary and Elizabeth Hagerty came to help clean the fridge. 

The dog seemed to understand something was just plain going on!  

 Because why on earth was the elk head that used to hang on the livingroom wall going out into the van?

 

And the garage, where the dogs hung out, hadn't been this empty or clean since we moved in 21 years ago! 

 All the stuff was gotten rid of or packed into the trailer! 

And the last night before moving out, our friends the Hagertys invited us for supper to their place. Just after we arrived, a little shower of rain brought with it a beautiful rainbow!

For Jonathan and me, still not knowing where we were going to sleep the next night,

or how I was going to take care of my cancer diet in the boondocks of South Dakota,

or how on earth we were supposed to chew all that we had bitten off,

it was another token of God's promises.

Promises that never fail--even when we don't know what the next day holds.

Promises of His presence,

His mercies,

and His blessings!  

Especially when we were debt-free--and suddenly homeless!