Before and After - March 19, 2024

FLORIDA VERSES NEW HAMPSHIRE:

Green and blue vs. gray and brown.

Orange sunrises and sunsets vs. dark by 5:30.

Sound of the waves vs. "Is that a fisher cat screaming in the woods in our back yard?”

When you are gone for three months and are used to looking at ocean and sky blues, with lush greenery every day, coming back to New Hampshire in early March is visually shocking.  I am not used to turning the lights on in the late afternoon or feeling somewhat claustrophobic in my own house.

It is nice to be home, and I do believe it is time for me to be home.  I also believe I was meant to be away for the winter.  Each amount of time is precious and holds blessings of its own.  Whatever season we are in, and I don’t just mean winter or summer, is always the season we are meant to be in. 

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1

BEACH HOUSE BEFORE AND AFTER:

For those of you following the beach house renovations, specifically the Septic System Project, let me give you an update.  I feel a little like this is an episode on HGTV!

As you can see by the photos, the first one is the before picture, when we had a large driveway, a few palm trees, and a lot of foliage.  Then the palms came down, half of the driveway was demolished, and the foliage went into the dumpster.  After the new system was put in and all was said and done, we had one big yard full of sand.  Now what? 

We decided we were not able to landscape the entire yard in one visit, so we settled on a manageable design.  River rock and a white picket fence.  I always wanted a white picket fence!  There’s something about it that says, “home.”  And even though the beach house is not my year-round home, it is home away from home. I think it’s where my heart is.

“Throw your heart over the fence and the rest will follow.”

– Norman Vincent Peale

Although I had some say in the design, props to my husband who shoveled a huge pile of rock from the driveway and onto the yard, cleared out a few garbage cans of dead foliage and installed the fence (see pics below.) We were initially concerned about taking everything down.  It would drastically change the front of the home.  After it was all done, we decided we liked it better.  It opened up the view.  Better to see the gorgeous sunsets over the marsh.  Sometimes, what we think is an awful turn of events, actually turns out a lot better than we thought.  Now, all we can hope for is that too many weeds don’t take over the front yard of sand, and the renters don’t hit the fence with their cars.  I’ll keep you posted on that.

 RELAXATION VERSUS WORK:

Let’s just say there wasn’t a lot of relaxation going on.  And wait a minute, isn’t that the whole idea of owning this house?  Aren’t we supposed to be lounging on the beach with pina coladas that have little pink umbrellas in them?  Drinking wine out on the front porch as the orange sun slowly slips over the marsh and lights up the sky? 

Repairs on the house seem to trump our desire for a little bit of fun.  Don’t get me wrong-there were moments, good moments.  But I hated the feeling that we had to use most of our free time to run to Home Depot, order things on Amazon, replace, repair and fix chairs, ceilings, roofs, appliances, decks and well, don’t get me started on the rest. Is this just what it’s like to own beachfront property?  Or is it also what it’s like to own rental property?  It’s been almost two years, and we are not sure of the answer to that question.  We wonder if maybe next year when we return, there won’t be so much to fix. 

I do not want a repeat of the past two winter visits, so there will be some prayerful soul searching going on.   The lack of relaxation and the pressure to get everything fixed for the renters before we left triggered two months of physical pain for me which I am still dealing with.  Although chronic pain is a daily battle for me, this pushed it to another level. Sometimes our pain is an indicator that we need to review our current circumstances and pray for wisdom and guidance before we proceed.  Part of me is afraid to return, for fear that I will not be able to handle the increased pain.  This trip included a visit to Urgent Care and the panic of having to endure a plane ride home.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2

I’ve always had trouble with discernment, praying for God’s will to be done in my life, but not really sure I hear the answer.  I know God knows where he wants me to be, and in trusting Him, I know the answers will be revealed to me in His time, not mine.  Today I can be grateful He allowed me to spend so much time at a place I love.  Where I left part of my heart. I am blessed!

So what is the verdict?  I’m not sure there is one today.  God has me on a journey, a journey which He has planned every single day.  I pray that through this journey, I learn the lessons He wants me to learn and I am open to wherever He guides me next. 

As for the Beach House, it is still standing.  Today, I choose to remember the moments…the full moon shining over the night sea, the way the pelicans dip and dive in the sky, and the walks along the shore. Mostly I will remember God’s whisper, that floated over the salted breeze with each rolling wave saying:

“And I will be with you always, until the end of the age.” -Matthew 28:20