Some thoughts about moving

Tom writes: Now that we are back in town, there are projects everywhere we turn. Important projects like, "What box are my underpants stored in?" or, "Let's insulate the attic," or "Let's cut up the old rugs so that we can throw them out in the trash bin in several weekly installments as opposed to paying for an extra delivery to come and take care of the situation all at once." But there is a good feel to the house, even in its chaotic state.

When we selected this house, there were two on the short list, this one and another that we can call the "cute house." I liked the cute house more, Lisa liked this one more, and so we started a process of listing the pros and cons and trying to gather more information. Fortunately, we did not get very far down that road. As I walked from in from the parking lot to my office one morning, I was struck with an image of my father at this house, playing out in the yard with some young children, presumably his yet-to-be born grandchildren. My father passed away in 1989. The image was one that came unbidden and caught me rather completely off guard. And there was something fresh and alive about it that separated it from daydreams, something that brought tears to my eyes. In my limited experience, these are hallmarks of something that God sends, as opposed to human thinking. So after I checked my e-mail, I tried to revisit the image and convince my dad to check out the cute house. He was not interested. And with that, I called Lisa and told her that the decision was pretty much settled in my mind.

I said fortunately we did not get very far down that road, meaning the road of negotiations and compromise. On small decisions, perhaps that road works, but it leaves the door open for there to be a battle of wills. As it turns out, there was no need for such a showdown, and the answer was full and clear. It also directly addressed one of my concerns about this house: that it was "responsible" but not "fun." Playing in yard with kids counts way up there on the fun factor.

When we made the decision, we did not exercise "due diligence" and interview all the neighbors to see what kind of neighborhood we were getting. But in the first few days that we have been here, most of our immediate neighbors have introduced themselves, and all of them have struck us as excellent people...a confirmation that we have made the right choice.

Coming soon: a house warming party. Details TBA.