The Coastal Grandmother Still Learning Life Lessons

I know I promised you I would keep you up to date on my latest venture with the beach house situation.

Due to the original contract falling through on my beach house, we had to ask the owner, of the house we wanted to buy, for an extension. For reasons of his own, he declined the extension. This meant we had to terminate the contract on the new house, which in turn, meant terminating the listing on my present house, even though there was an offer pending.

What Does It All Mean

There is a saying I really like, “Plan your life and watch God laugh”! There are times in your life when, no matter the odds, things just go smoothly. Then, there are times when things seem so right, and nothing works out. What I have learned over my lifetime is that, if you can keep your peace and trust God, things always work out for the best in the end. It is hard sometimes to remember that, and especially to practice it, when things seem to be falling apart.

As I have said before, no matter the circumstances, there are always silver linings, and God is always good. Over the course of listing my house, and the subsequent inspections, some things came to light that needed repair on my house. Some we knew about, and some we did not. My son had a running list of things he wanted to do, and planned to do, this Spring and Summer. He, of course, did not know that he and his wife would be moving to Durham to be near Duke for her cancer treatments. She is going through radiation and oral chemo for the next seven weeks, and then, we hope to know more.

There was disappointment, of course, but also relief. I love my beach house. I love my neighbors. I love how close it is to the beach. Even though the new house seemed like a good situation for my son and his wife, we ultimately don’t know what their future will hold or where their best opportunity will be.

I was able to find an experienced handyman who can do the repairs on my house. In fact, it was nice to hear him say, “this is a beautiful, well maintained home. Yes, you need some tightening up and a few repairs, but nothing out of the ordinary for a home at the beach”. I talked to him about closing in my screened in porch and making it a year round sunroom. I could put a sleep sofa in there and add a half bath. This would give us more sleeping room and only add value to the house. My neighbors are thrilled. As it turns out, my grandchildren are also thrilled. They love the “house party” feel when everyone is at the beach house. Who knew?

What Now?

Life goes on, and I have total peace about everything. My life is truly blessed in all the ways that matter. I thank God every day for the good things in my life, and also for the things that are not as good. Sometimes He is protecting us, and sometimes He just has something better in mind. We may get an answer for the “why”, and we may not, but one thing is for sure, He longs to bless us, and if we trust Him, He always does.

I hope this is a time in your life when things are going smoothly, but if not, just remember, if you can trust and be patient and peaceful, your blessings are on the way!

Hard to beat!