Honestly I've made a lot of stupid decisions in my life. Mainly financial and some personal but anyhoo... about ten years ago we sold our first house. I loved it. We had it built and I was involved in all the decision making and I landscaped all of it. It wasn't a huge house but it was cute. It had red brick, black shutters, a little front porch, adorable. I love antique roses and I had planted close to twenty. My first son came, then my daughter and then my third son. While I was pregnant with the third we were having a lot of financial issues. I don't want to go into all the details because it still hurts. BUT I have always still thought about our first house. Why were we idiots? What could we have done differently? I even still drive by it occasionally (it's in Red Oak). It's always been a sore subject. Even though I knew a really nice family had bought it and their daughter's name was also Victoria. Now that I have this awesome house I hadn't really thought about it in awhile though. This morning one of my good friends out of the blue sent this to me:
"Don't waste energy regretting the way things are or thinking about what might have been. Start at the present moment accepting things exactly as they are and search for My way in the midst of those circumstances." Proverbs 3:5-6
Out of the blue this afternoon I get a call. He says is this Shelley Nelson who use to live on Castle Ridge in Red Oak. I was like Um...yeah... He said "this is Jorge the guy who bought your house. We keep getting W-2's for your husband every year and this year I decided to see if I could find you on Facebook and then I saw your business page and got your number." I was so shocked. Anyway he said I could come over and pick it up. I go over and he let me inside and it was so weird. Even though there wasn't a lot that hadn't changed it wasn't my house. Memories didn't flood back. I wasn't sad. I was just so glad this family had enjoyed it as much as we did. They have now lived in it double the time we had. When I drove away I just had this unbelievable sense of peace. It was my first house. I can be happy I use to live there. I can look at it and not see stupid decisions. God directed my friend to send that verse, have Jorge call me and gave me peace and closure on something I didn't think I needed it on. God knows our needs even when we don't. Thank you, Lord Jesus.
Which brings me to one of my favorite quotes that so fits:
"Your journey has molded you for the greater good. And it was exactly what it needed to be. Don't think you've lost time. It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now. And now is right on time."
Thank you for writing this post. I needed to read your story. The quotes can be applied to my life as well. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jennifer! I'm glad you read it. I didn't know if I really wanted to get so personal but what the heck!
ReplyDeleteI love this, Shelley. That's exactly how I feel about the house we built and lived in for 12 years. It belongs to someone else now and I'm so glad they love it.
ReplyDeleteI tear up when I hear Miranda's "House that Built Me"... It reminds me of the house I grew up in. I've often contemplating knocking on the door and telling the family that lives there now that I was the girl who wrote her name in the concrete in the garage. I know it wouldn't be the same to me now, but the memories I have of that house I keep forever. It was a true home. Thanks for sharing. :)
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