Downsizing has evolved into homelessness. At this writing we are hopping from hotel to hotel until we land on a decision for the next chapter in our lives. Some days we feel like the Mad Hatter is speaking directly to us to run down the rabbit hole!
A brief history reminds us; we bought our house at a great deal, as an investment for retirement. It was way too big for the two of us, but the price we paid could not be passed up. We certainly enjoyed living there. Many family nights were spent playing pool in the game room, watching a movie in the media room, or sitting in the dining room playing games. Several Christmas photos were taken in front of the gas fireplace. The grandkids loved climbing the stairs, and Yoda got annoyed finding ways to stop them from doing so. Friends and family members have enjoyed our guest rooms. Many beautiful spring days were spent working on the back porch, as I watched my bluebirds raising their families from one season to the next. When we bought this house on the cul de sac, we thought we would be there until we retired. Our plan was to sell and downsize at retirement, as the profit would surely pay for a smaller home by that time.
Two months after the home purchase, I was diagnosed with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer. Our retirement plan was turned upside down.
Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” We continued to seek God’s will for our future.
Retirement comes for most folks in their mid-60s, or even 70s. Terminal cancer has a way of changing perspective. Will I live long enough to retire? Will I feel good enough when I retire to travel and enjoy the retirement life? I hope so! I believe so! But there are no guarantees when you have a terminal illness. I am now half-way through the “average” 5-year lifespan for patients with MBC. Perhaps I will live to my 70s, and God does give me hope that I will! God is not a god of statistics. Even still, we are examining options for my early retirement to make this journey a bit easier to manage. As I said in my last blog, we are not merely existing; we choose to live.
As soon as we heard my body was stable, we put our house on the market.
It took a while to get an offer on our big, beautiful home, but when we finally did it happened very quickly. Mid-March we received a cash offer. The buyers wanted to close in three weeks as they were between homes and living with her aging parents. We had planned a trip to Scotland the following week…yikes! But when a buyer comes knocking, you don’t say no. We immediately started packing the house, and then packed for our trip. It relaxing and enjoyable in the midst of this tumultuous time, but we came home and hit the ground running. Two days after we returned from our trip, the house closed. It was April 4th. We bought back a few days for $1.00, as part of the negotiations…just enough time to finish packing and move out, with the help of several friends.
It’s almost June, and we are still living in hotels and a couple of storage units. Fortunately Tim gets good deals and we travel a lot for his work, so this is not a totally new experience. We have been weighing all the options, but the final decision was based on a call from God. He said he has a plan for us. It’s a mobile plan. We will be living a nomadic lifestyle for a while, as we do ministry from the road. After much debate and indecisiveness, we finally bought a truck. Not just any truck, but a Super Duty Ford F-350 Dually, with 4.10 axle ratio. We also have a Heartland Cyclone 4007 (Fifth Wheel) on order, and if all goes well we will pick it up on July 5th. Between now and then…more travel.
À la prochaine…until next time.
“You’re entirely bonkers. But I’ll tell you a secret all the best people are.”
― Alice in Wonderland