A Dream Comes True! - June 8, 2022

Some of you have followed my blog from the beginning – when I spent 90 days in a condo on the beach in north Florida last October through December. Because of my health,* it was a huge step to take. I wondered and stressed about so many things. Would I be able to tolerate the plane flight? How would my sleeping be affected in a strange bed? Would my pain levels increase due to new surroundings and new obstacles I don’t have at home?

Although there were some great challenges there, it turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. So much so that we renewed for this year. We’ve been looking forward to it during the long, cold New Hampshire winter. At the same time, we decided to look for a place to buy, but as the months and months went by, nothing was seeming to fit our criteria and budget. The market was getting tighter and tighter. We thought, “At least we have the rental and we can continue looking when we get down there.”

Then we got Covid, and I must say it wasn’t pretty. A secondary infection followed. The month of May was spent recuperating. We were blessed that the symptoms did not progress to us being hospitalized. Praise God!

Six weeks ago, a call came in from the rental agent at the beach. “We’re so sorry, we have to cancel your reservation, as the owner is selling the unit.” We could hardly believe our ears. Disappointment ensued. It was quite a letdown. Properties are very hard to find there, as the snowbirds grab them as fast as they go up for rent.

I went back to my VRBO and Airbnb searches. I looked every day, scouring the listings. Finally, two weeks ago, our rental agent found two places. We chose one and asked her to send us the documents. A week went by but still no word from the owner’s manager. We waited. Last week, we got the call. “I am so sorry we didn’t respond to your agent’s email. My partner and I were both on vacation and there was some confusion. Both of the places have already been rented. Again, we are so sorry.” Ugh! I just didn’t know if I could dig myself out of the disappointment rut and keep looking.

“Sometimes when things are falling apart, they may actually be falling into place.” -anonymous

I like to take short walks in my neighborhood when I can. It’s where I have my best conversations with God, (besides the beach.) Instead of getting upset, this time I said, “God, I know you have something better.” Each time we lost something, I repeated, “God, I know something better is around the corner.” I have not been very successful using this prayer about my health,* but I was able to do it with this situation. Perhaps because finding a beach rental is quite a bit easier than my health concerns, but nonetheless, I was making progress in my ability to surrender and trust.

A reminder to those who are new followers, having a place at the beach has been a life long dream for me. I’m not sure I ever believed it possible, but I still kept dreaming. At one time I was convinced my health would prevent this from ever happening, but I committed to keep hoping and chose to let God decide.

“Stop worrying about how it’s going to happen and start believing it will.” -anonymous

On Thursday night last week, a place came on the market. I fell in love with it. The first thought I had was, “The way the bidding wars on properties are now, we don’t have a very good chance of getting this.” I was so surprised that I was able to turn that thought right around immediately and say, “If God wants this for us, we will get it. If not, it wasn’t right." I continued to feel the Holy Spirit moving in me. I had a really good feeling. It was a kind of inner “knowing.” I don’t know how to explain it but I felt so strongly that our offer would be accepted. I wondered if this is what it feels like to have our will aligned with God’s?

We waited for two days to receive an answer. We found out about an hour ago that our offer had been accepted and we are moving forward! Now I see why the first rental was cancelled. Now I see why the following two rentals were not available. I haven’t had too many of these moments where God allows me to look back and understand the “whys?” But He’s allowing me this one. And I am blessed abundantly by it.

A dream is coming true. God put this dream in my heart since I was a little girl, frolicking in the waves on the Jersey shore. And now He is fulfilling it. Praise the Lord God! I thank Him for allowing this to happen in my life – it’s a big shining beacon of hope for me as I continue my journey.

Stay tuned for upcoming posts on my path to purchasing my piece of paradise…..

“Whatever makes you feel the sun from inside out, chase that.” - anonymous

*For background on my health condition, (Central Sensitization Syndrome) see previous post on November 12, 2021, titled, "Three Years Ago Today." In addition to CSS, my diagnoses include Fibromyalgia, Hashimotos Thyroiditis, Severe spinal disk degeneration, bilateral hip replacement complications, small fiber neuropathy, Morton's Neuroma, Burning Mouth and Osteoporosis.