After the initial shock and excitement, I took it easy for a couple of days. There was an enormous sadness that came upon me because as joyful and exciting this call was, I still have to face the people the next day, the people of St. James in Springfield, who loved me dearly and so did I, and walk with them in their excitement and grief. I learned to balance the two, celebrating the excitement and the grief at the same time.
A week later, on the 28th, my wife and I flew to Boise. We arrived in Boise and were greeted by Fr. Bill Brown, the chair of the Transition Committee. Fr. Bill is a gem hidden in the gem state, if I may brag a little bit. I fell in love with Fr. Bill, one of the kindest, most caring, gentle, and compassionate human beings I have ever met. He is the best tour guide in the world.
He introduced us to Mary Leise, his neighbor, and our realtor. We came to Boise when the housing market exploded. Houses were priced three times more than what we could afford. Every house we put an offer on was outbid by someone else for a hundred thousand more than what we offered. Even our offer was on the high end as far as we were concerned. The days were running short. After several meetings with realtors, we finally gave up and let God take control.
While we were anxious about a house, we had no time to wallow in the anxiety of it. Deep down in me, I believed we will find the right house because God would not bring us this far without us finding a place to live. It may not be the best for the money we could afford, but it would be sufficient for us to be blessed. And it was.
The day before we left the realtor took us to a house. As we were walking to the door of the house she got a phone call from the agent who listed the house. He informed her that the owners reduced the price of the house by $25,000. Unbelievable. We were sure something was wrong with the house. But actually no. Nothing is wrong with the house other than cosmetics. Almost a brand new and huge house, much more than we asked for, and with enough room for all our kids!
A week went by fast. We met lots of people and lots of meetings, and by the end of the week, it felt like we have begun a whirlwind of a life!
Love and Blessings to you….
