Linda's Story: Moving? God's Got A Plan!

My blogger friend Sheila was writing about secondary losses on Our Journey To A New Normal the other day. That got me thinking about the great variety of losses widows experience, like friends who drift away, loss of identity as Mrs. Married Person, loss of the routine and familiar rythymns of life . . . sigh.  Some widows lose really big stuff like income, homes and health, that's sorrow upon sorrow. But before I drag everyone down into a bog of despair, I've found two things that can help when facing those secondary losses.
1) Recounting God's faithfulness in the past. Tell your stories of other hard times you faced and how God brought you through. This a biblical practice that we all should be encouraged to do. It not only shores our faith, it also helps heal our grief and creates our legacy.
2) Look to the present to see ways God has prepared us for this change. Speak words of praise and thankfulness about it. James 1:2.

I set aside Wednesdays to tell our stories here on Widows Christian Place, they are such a source of inspiration and encouragement to me--they recount God's faithfulness, they remind me He prepares people for changes they'll face. My blogger friend, Linda, at Sparrow Scrolls helped me face my upcoming move and get the right perspective on it by sharing one of her stories with me. And I thought you might like to read it today, too. Although maybe you're not facing a move like I am, I think it's a great example of some of the plans God has for us. And even though her very last sentence was meant for me, maybe there's someone else out there who needs to hear it, too. Blessings on you, ♥ ferree

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When Ken and I met, we had been in California for many years - he for about 35 and me for about 25. He was a native Iowan and I am a native Virginian.
After we married in 1987 things went well, but about five years into it we both started getting restless and uncomfortable in California for various reasons. We weren't totally against the idea of moving to Iowa - it was his original home and I didn't really care because I had no family to speak of left in Virginia. However, we both could not come to the decision at the same time.
One night after a particularly trying week of money issues, safety issues, etc, etc, we were having coffee at a local restaurant and Ken said, "For two cents I'd pack up all of our **** and head back to Iowa!"
I reached into my purse, gave him two cents and said, "Let's go."
Now please keep in mind Ken was not overly spiritual at the time and I was the one doing most of the praying asking for blessings and guidance, etc. (that thankfully changed as the years went on). About a year prior to this God had led me to feel there was to be a change in my life so when this opportunity came up I was at total peace.
This was the first of August, 1994. We contacted a realtor, got a list of things to do to make the house "sellable" and put it on the market one month later - thinking that since the housing market in Southern California had tanked and most houses stayed on the market a minimum of one year and an average of two that it would be a while before anything happened. The house sold in three days!!!!! Unheard of - we were the talk of every agent in town! So 30 days later after that, on October 1, we left California. A week later we started looking for houses here in Iowa. We found one that was suitable and in our price range. We found out that it had just recently become re-available after having had a long term financial hold on it dependent on the buyer getting funding. Guess what? This original hold had been placed on August 1st - the exact same day that we decided to move, and the hold was for 60 days! God held the house for us until we got here! So when I say, "God already has your house picked out for you," I really believe it!