Moves and Miracles Part Two

So where did we get to last week? I’d just told you about our last eviction in February 2020. We were given two months notice. So we had to be out at the end of March 2020. We were very blessed to have some friends kindly offer to help us by lending us enough money to be able to buy a home of our own.

But then lockdown happened. There were no house viewings, there was no way we could buy anywhere or even find somewhere else to rent. We were very lucky that another friend of ours had a flat we could move into. So in the middle of lockdown we packed and moved most of our stuff into storage and moved into a two bed flat.

Four kids, two adults and four rooms. We have some great stories from that time but the favourite was the day I took the kids to the beach for the morning. When I got back Sean had locked himself out of the flat and so was sitting in the hallway outside the flat on a zoom meeting!

We let ourselves in and I went into the bedroom and started to change out of my swimming costume in the bedroom. Which you should know was also the office. Sean thought this was the moment to come in for his zoom meeting! So he walks in with all the senior leadership team on the zoom call as I’m undressed! I obviously screamed and threw myself into the fitted wardrobe! Luckily no one saw anything but they definitely heard me scream!

Through this time we were organising the buying of our new home. Apparently, it’s not normal for friends to lend other friends money. Every mortgage company refused to consider it. But our financial advisor was incredible and helped the whole process to go through. He made sure we could do it without lying! It meant we prayed a lot, along with an army of our friends! Even so wasn’t until a week before our proposed moving date, while we at Adventure Wonderland, we were given the yes to go ahead! We ended up exchanging, completing and moving in on the same day!

It was a real rollercoaster! On the 31st July 2020 we moved into our first home that we own. Everyone involved agrees this was a miraculous provision, that if you take God out of the equation, it could never have happened.

So if you have housing needs I’d love to pray for you! I have faith for some crazy miracles to happen. Think walls of Jericho and Goliath’s being defeated!

Homeschool is finished!

I’m very fortunate that three of my kids went back to school this week, even though they only went for the mornings, it was a relief not to have to educate them myself! I don’t know if any of you have had to homeschool but I have found it really challenging. I love my kids! They are great fun. Except when I’m their teacher! Apparently at school they’re beautifully behaved! I saw moments of this but had more moments of frustration. In this third lockdown, I have found a solution. To be a lot more laid back about it all!

Whether they have learnt during this lockdown I don’t know but the reality is that they will catch up at some point. My youngest two have loved being at home and I think they would love to always be at home. I love listening to them play. They make up all kinds of games and spend most of their time laughing. I want to learn to be more like them. To find joy in the small things. Finding sticks, whizzing down the slide and following tracks on the pavement.

At what age do we lose that wonder and joy at the small things. I see my 14 year old joining in with the fun but I know if there was anyone around his age he would be embarrassed. Why is that? Do we have to be serious because the world is a serious place? Are we afraid of joy and of being disappointed? I think if we can learn to laugh at the small things the big things won’t feel so big. Or are we like my teenage son and allowing others to rob our joy, either through comparison or fear of looking silly.

My plan this week, as my kids are back in school, is to find a way to find the joy in the small things. Will you join me?