Keeping my eye on the prize.

My favorite bible verse is Proverbs 3:5-6.  Trust in Jehovah with all they heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding: In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he will direct thy paths.

Frank and I aren’t the most “religious” people you will meet, but our relationship with our heavenly father comes first and is very important to us.  We hardly make a decision on anything, before going to him in prayer, to ask for his guidance.  The hard part is patiently waiting for his answer. Frank is much more patient than I am, but I am getting better at it, the older I get.

When we started making plans to purchase the river house and selling our Rye Street house, we knew there would be a span of time that we would need a transition spot to stay. We debated on buying a camper and living in it at Periwinkle Lane, but there was going to be a couple of weeks before we could get the electric hooked up and dig a well, so that wasn’t good.  Our ultimate decision was to build a small apartment at Frank’s shop.  Since the structure was already there, we could do it relatively quick and after we were finished staying there, we could rent it out and have the extra income.  So, not only were we packing up everything and storing it at Frank’s shop, we were trying to complete the apartment and work our jobs at the same time.

One day, my daughter Kendel came for a visit and I wanted to take her to see Periwinkle Lane.  On the way, we stopped to check on Frank at the shop and I showed her where we were going to be finishing the apartment.  When we were getting in the car after seeing it, she said “Oooh mom!”  I have to admit, it was in rough shape then, but it turned out okay. Frank and I have laughed about that a few times.

Frank’s shop is an old building located on Hwy 70 between McEwen and Waverly, in a little area call Gorman.  So, let me put this in perspective for everyone.  Hwy 70 with all of the traffic, which sounds like Daytona 500, is in the front of the building, and 50 feet from the back of the building is the railroad tracks.  Trace Creek road runs right beside us and there is a railroad crossing located there for traffic.  Does anyone know how many trains run down this track each night?  Better yet, does anyone know how many times a train blows it’s horn when approaching and passing through a crossing?  The first couple of nights were painful.   Needless to say, I had to buy a fan, ear plugs, and take benadryl to help me sleep.

The other small problems we encountered during our first few days at the apartment were seeing a big snake right outside our back entrance, mice getting into our food, and a male cat on the roof screaming all night.  I guess he was trying to make friends with my female cat.  Then last week, there were terrible storms in our area and before we knew what was happening, there was water coming in everywhere and water was flowing through the apartment like a small creek. Thank goodness, we hadn’t left for work yet, and was able to get all hands on deck with the shop vac, blowers, and dehumidifier. It took most of the day but we got it cleaned up. That one stressed Frank out.  

All in all, it wasn’t easy at first, and I must admit, I had a couple of meltdowns.  Frank was walking on eggshells and trying to stay out of my way.  But, one day, he gave me some great advise, when he told me to “Keep your eye on the prize.”  So I am doing just that.  I am trusting God and visualizing what is to come.  Some days are harder than others, but each day we get a little closer.  Until next time, keep smiling!