Singing the Beach House Blues

December 22, 2023

Before we get into the blues, I first want to say, “Am I beyond blessed to be here in this oceanfront house?”  Yes, and double yes.  That’s the “A” side of the record.  Now to the “B” side.

The Septic Project.  The permit came in last week.  I was so excited they were finally ready to start.  However, during the wait, the company put their staff on another project, and with the Christmas holidays…. yes, you guessed it, we’ve been postponed.  To January 9-11.  Perfect. (Not!).  I have company coming January 4-6, and more, January 13-17.  Do we really think this will all go as planned, and everything will occur while company is not here?  To make things more interesting, six palm trees must come down before the project starts, so we frantically contacted companies and were lucky to find one who will do it on January 2.  It seems like the new year will be off and running as soon as the calendar page flips from 2023 to 2024.  I will keep you posted on this project as our front yard will look drastically different from what it is now.

In other news, we had a wild and windy rainstorm last weekend.  We hunkered down in front of the fireplace as the sea raged and spat its fury against our doors and windows.  Welcome to Florida where it’s sunny and warm, haha!  It hasn’t hit 70 since we’ve arrived, and the sun has barely made an appearance.   (I apologize profusely to all my peeps in New England who are living in the 30s or lower.)  As the storm continued, I heard a strange sound by the back windowed doors.  It seems the floor was soaking wet.  The sound I heard was dripping water.  The ceiling was leaking.  It wasn’t a few drops.  It was enough water that we needed to empty a plastic storage bin on the floor to catch all the water.  Aha!  So that is why the floor is sinking. The water has rotted it out over time.  Oh my. 

A visit from a roofing company yesterday revealed a small issue with the roof, but yet a bigger issue with our house siding and failing windows.  Oh boy.  Another major project.  I struggle not to freak out on a daily basis, but then I look at my view. 

I have a friend who moved to St. Thomas a while back.  When I visited her, I saw that her dishes were piled up in the sink. She explained that she and her roommates had to conserve water by only washing dishes once a day.  They also took interesting showers.  Run the water to get wet, then turn it off.  Soap up everything at once.  Turn the shower back on and rinse quickly.  When I commented on the hardships, she said, “It’s the price you pay for living in paradise.”  I never forgot that line and I often use it here, remembering that we bought oceanfront.  We bought the view.  And it sure is a million-dollar view. 

There is a part of me that feels victimized by everything that has happened in the year and a half that we’ve owned this house – two hurricanes, a failed electric panel, damages from rental guests, a failed septic system and now the ceiling leak.  The other part of me feels terribly selfish for complaining about these things.  It’s then I continue to remind myself how grateful I am to even have this opportunity.  To be able to walk out my door and have my feet in the sand.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? - Matthew 6:25-27

Jesus is telling us something here – Quit worrying about stuff!  This is not easy.  Just try to tell yourself to stop worrying about everything that is bothering you in your life.  I know, I’ve tried it.  It is then I realize, I absolutely cannot do it without the help of my savior, Jesus Christ.  He knows everything that’s happening.  He knows the struggles I face, not only with the house, but with my physical condition.  He is not surprised by what is happening.  He is not panicking or freaking out.  I can choose to respond with fear or decide to surrender to Jesus and let Him take care of things.  He may not fix the leak or make the septic project go smoothly.  He may not heal my body. But he will be here through it all, supporting me and beckoning me to come closer to him through each trial.  That is the true gift. But that doesn’t mean I will stop asking!

For now, the Beach House Blues continue, but maybe now, with a catchy, uplifting tune.  One that rises to the heavens.