I’m already thinking about what I will put on the walls of my children’s bedrooms when we move. (After, that is, we get our house ready to sell, put it on the market, successfully sell it, and find and purchase a new house. Then.)

I’m planning Word Art.

I love this new Word Art craze. I could never draw anything thing worth displaying, but Words have decorated my mind from my earliest days.

Words are just so powerful.

Last summer my oldest brother took my 13 year old son backpacking. At some point my brother, noting Paul’s strengths, put his hand on his shoulder and said with manly emphasis, “You are damn efficient, Paul” He has never forgotten it.

Continue reading “A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME” →

I’m having house problems. But that’s not the half of it.

We have been thinking about moving to the other side of town for some time now. There are many good reasons. That’s where our church, school, and many of our friends are.

And, believe it or not, we need to Up-Size. While most of my peers are transitioning to smaller homes now that their children are grown up, we actually need an additional bedroom to accommodate one of our adult daughters. (I have a complicated family. Did I mention that?)

So like many other homeowners who are hoping to sell, we have been trying to catch up with all the tasks we should have been doing over the last, say, 15 years or so. Cleaning closets, purging, touching up here and there.

It’s taking forever.

But like I said, that’s not the half of it.

Last night I felt a wave of anxiety. Not about my house — although that seems like a good metaphor. But about my Home. My family. My complicated family.

We are in the midst of making some changes to meet the needs of our children, and hopefully make some progress in some necessary areas. And while it all looks good on paper, the reality is starting to sink in, and I wonder, what if this doesn’t work?

So this morning I took it all to God. Poured out my heart. Asked for wisdom. Asked for faith.

And this is what he said.

Continue reading “THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT” →