Open Road Press

Part I of IV

Although adventure in life takes many forms, Debbie and I had an adventure this past summer like none other: a relocation adventure. We moved from Marlborough, Massachusetts, to Thompson’s Station, Tennessee. We’re acclimating to a new culture, a warmer climate, and a different pace of life.

The ease with which we moved, from listing our home for sale in Massachusetts in May to securing a rental property and a job for Debbie in Tennessee in July, seemed a bit supernatural to us. That’s why I’d like to share it with you, because it testifies about Someone far greater than us. Let me explain.

“Limbo” was a common word in our household since we married in 2010. Bicycle touring wanderlust appeased our restlessness temporarily, but a deeper stirring prompted us to search for the greater purpose of our union. We dedicated our quest to daily prayer. We weren’t sure where God was leading us—either to a place or a purpose, but we had begun to realize that we weren’t finding that greater purpose where we were. This revelation led to listing our home for sale, a first step toward discovering our destiny, though we didn’t know what steps would follow.

Houses go up for sale every day, but, at least for us, preparing for sale didn’t seem that simple. The process of blending the lives of two formerly lifelong singles is an ongoing one. Moving would mean paring down our belongings. Cards from my high school graduation, college essays, University of Maine sports memorabilia, and touching mementos from Mom’s estate became attic reading assignments that tugged my heartstrings in different directions. Memories were competing for space in the moving van.

The weeding out process is a daily exercise deferred either to spend more time on enjoyable activities in life or to avoid the emotional decisions required to move on from earlier days of comfort, affirmation, and security. For me, it was both. The details and the sentiments had caught up to me. Rather than allow them to bog us down any longer, it was time to process through them.

After an entire winter of picking away at the catacombs of our old single lives, we’d approached our appointed time, unbeknownst to us. We’d been buried not only in snow but in details.

Thankfully, Debbie brought a friend into this marriage who doubled as our kick-starting angel. He knows the entire home-sale process like we know bicycle touring. He dropped by for a visit in mid-May and, without our prompting, exclaimed, “You guys are so close. All you need to do is….” He spelled out two or three steps to make our home ready for its initial showing. He offered to cart a few remaining pieces of clutter away in his pickup while strongly urging us to call our broker immediately and request an open house. “You don’t want to miss next weekend,” he said. “It’s the biggest weekend for home showing in the year.”

A week later, we held an open house and received an offer $5,000 over our asking price. We knew our time had come.
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For Part II, click here.