What happens to a dream (or a blog) deferred?

Well, the great Langston Hughes had something to say about this and – granted – his work is far grander and far reaching than my version. Thoreau said: Build your castles in the air, just make sure you put a strong foundation under them, for that is where dreams become reality (I paraphrase here). But both these philosophies have been my comfort over the last few months of absence.

I sulked away from my blog with all the self-pity, discouragement, disappointment, and sense of failure my personal vessel could bear. I have spent the last few months on an emotional roller coaster and have apologized profusely to my dear hubba hubby and my wonderfully stalwart dearest friends. I have cried, calculated, and cried some more. I gave up on our dream and retreated into our little grey room.

And then the dream deferred exploded like a phoenix rising from the depths of despair to become reborn into an absolute miracle. My castle in the air landed on a crawlspace on a nice little plot of land surrounded by trees, creeks, a river, and dotted with other homesteads waiting patiently for spring's glory.

We found a house. Not just any house but a darling little 1964 house with REAL hardwood floors, a big country kitchen with REAL WOOD CABINETS (no pressboard for this lady thank you very much - lol), bricks already in place waiting for a wood burning stove, and just enough room for the semi-empty nesters we will soon become.

Did I mention it was also on 10 acres? And that we got it at half the market value?

How about learning that the septic tank and the well were only 7 years old?

And that I already have quite a bit of fencing up.

Okay, so the interior needs some work as the pictures will attest, but I can see the end result in my mind's eye already. I am so excited about the work we'll be able to accomplish on our own, grateful for the remaining nest egg that will pay for the things we cannot do.

But the very best part: We paid the house off in full. That's right: no mortgage payments, no interest payments sucking us into debt, no one to be able to take this away from us.

We are home. God provides beyond what we imagine.