Crossroad

What a month!  I interviewed October 3...was offered a position on October 14...traveled to Las Vegas late October with my wife for the CPCU conferment...and went house-hunting in Illinois with my wife this past week.  Our closing is set.  Our home is being shown tomorrow and we're praying for the best.

Just over a month ago, life was normal.  Everyone was in a set routine.  Now, it's everything but normal.  There has not been a routine in weeks.

And we couldn't be more happy.

My wife and I are quite the house-hunting team.  We began by randomly looking online separately.  Then we talked about it to narrow our focus.  We determined a price range.  We determined needs vs. wants.  And then we identified about a dozen homes and sent them to our realtor to prepare for the trip.

We each had our #1 home picked out.  Karen's (sad to say) was a complete flop as soon as we drove up the driveway.  My #1 lasted 36 hours longer...but was off our list by the end of day 2.

The home we chose was one that we walked through the first day.  But we didn't know it would be "the one."

We walked through over 30 homes in two days.  They blurred together.  We narrowed them down to 4 by Saturday night...and down to 2 by the time we went to bed.  And then we took a break on Sunday.

Before the trip, I was feeling anxious.  And it was more than the typical anxiety one might feel prior to a house-hunting trip.  It seemed to me that this would be a big deal.  Not sure why...still don't know why.  But choosing this particular home was going to be important.

My wife and I had settled on two homes by the time we went to bed Saturday night.  They were both "perfect" and we had no idea how we would settle the task before us.  It was Fast Sunday (and I was so glad it was).  An obvious part of our fast was to pray over the choice of homes.

Sunday morning, we attended the Normal Ward at 9AM (it's the only normal ward in the church).  After Sacrament meeting, we decided to drive past the two homes.  After we had driven past both, my mom called and told me she and my dad were on their way up for a surprise visit.  And it was such a welcomed visit!

We attended the Bloomington Ward at 1PM.  The spirit was incredibly strong during the testimonies.  One woman in particular...a convert of barely a year and just sealed in the temple to a good friend of mine was prompted to stand up after a moving testimony by another brother.  The topic of families and the sealing power of the priesthood was shared.  It was moving.  And then my friend's daughter bore her sweet and sincere testimony.  It was powerful.  Everyone was edified and lifted and taught by the Spirit.

This was the ward I wanted to be in.  But we weren't going to let the ward boundaries determine the house we chose.  Boundaries change.  Families move in and out.  And that was that.

My wife and I talked about all the pros and cons...to my parents...to her parents...to anyone who would listen.  The con of one was the pro of the other and vice versa.

Oh, and the result of our fast - both choices were good.  We would be happy in either one.  The Lord wasn't going to tell us which one...He wanted us to choose.  That was the answer both my wife and I received.  Separately and independently.  But we both received the same answer.

We drove past both homes again.  And that night we were no closer to a decision than we were the day before.

So as we woke up Monday morning, a decision was made and we agreed that we would make an offer on Garlington (that's the name of the street one of the homes was on).  It had a "wow" factor and met all of our "needs" category minus a couple of "wants."  We would walk through both one more time...but afterwards we would make an offer on Garlington.

After walking through both (and enjoying homemade blueberry muffins at Garlington), we were no closer to a decision than we were when we arrived four days previously.  We asked our agent if she would mind if we took a break for lunch so we could discuss our options yet again and then come back to her that afternoon to work up an offer.

Again, the answer both my wife and I received was that either home was good.  And that we would have to make the decision.

We went to a local pizza parlor and enjoyed some lunch.  We talked.  We kept an open mind.  And during our conversation it became more and more clear that we should make an offer on the other home...for sound reasons even though our hearts were wanting the other home.  And like a flood of knowledge pouring over me, I wanted to cry for joy.  It was the right decision.  And there was no doubt.  It wasn't an easy decision.  We worked extremely hard for the solution.  But in the end, it was clear that we had just made the right decision.  It was as if light had illuminated all the reasons we should choose this house.  And all of the things our hearts wanted in the Garlington house began to melt away and became less and less significant.
  
Doctrine and Covenants 9:7-9 reads:
Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.


But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.


But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought...

It was an amazing experience for both of us.  There may be no significant reason we chose the house we did other than to have the experience we had in going through the process.  But it will stay with me for a long time (and even longer now that I have recorded the experience).

My wife mentioned that this may have been a crossroad for us.  And I believe she's right.  We could have chosen the other home...and our life may have taken a completely different path.  But we chose this home.  And the Spirit has confirmed this decision.

The Lord is mindful of us.  And I am truly grateful for all that a loving Heavenly Father does for each of his children.