House of Dreams

Where we love is home,
Home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.
~Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., Homesick in Heaven 


I always dreamed of living in a farmhouse in the country. A pretty, red brick, front porch swing kind of house. At the end of a dirt road, surrounded by cornfields. You know the kind. Of course, the details were somewhat flexible... would it have cherry trees or an apple orchard? Either would be acceptable but it most definitely needed to have room for a tree swing. Would there be a barn? That would be nice if it was pretty. 
I always identified with Anne of Green Gables when she talked about her and Gilbert moving into their "House of Dreams." The house they would raise their children in - children who would one day leave home only to come back and be surrounded by the warmest memories.
And when I met my husband I was delighted that he shared the same vision. And so we planned and dreamed for our future country life. 
And then... several months ago God began to change something in our hearts. At first it was just a whisper... a gentle voice suggesting that maybe our plans were... well just that - our plans. Not God's plan for us. 
And whispers are easy to ignore... especially when a beautiful farmhouse life beckons you from the future. 
But the gentle voice got stronger, and a few months ago I found myself sitting across from my husband, who was saying "I think God is leading us to live in the city." 
My heart sank a little when I heard him say this. What about my clothesline full of freshly washed sheets flapping gently in the summer breeze? 
He pressed on, explaining the call to live where our church is, to serve the people in that area, to live where we would work. Dave reminded me of a quote from a Tim Keller sermon, "God loves people more than trees."   And I couldn't argue with that. 
I let the idea wash over me, and slowly began to let go of my dream of country life. A few more months passed. We were not actively looking for a house in the city, we were content in our current home until the right opportunity came.
And then a friend called and said - "There is this amazing house you should see."
Again I was reluctant - it wasn't a good time, we weren't ready...it didn't fit into my plan. 
Dave showed me the pictures and I admitted it was beautiful... it actually looked a lot like my dream farmhouse... and there were trees... even a cherry tree. 
And then it all fell together - God's plan. Not ours. And now I find myself preparing to sell our little cottage, and planning for our new House of Dreams.

And I'm beginning to realize that God's dreams are so much better than my own. 

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Thank you all so much for your condolences about my Mother. They were a great comfort to me.