Needle in a Haystack...

We had been renting a home for the past year and recently our lease was up.  We had to decide if we were going to sign a new lease and stay, or find a new place to live.  Through lots of prayer, we decided that it was time to buy a house.  Part of me doubted it could really happen, but we still went and spoke to someone about a loan.  Our jaws dropped when we prequalified for a good size loan.  So we put in our notice to vacate when the lease was up.
As you may know, buying a house does take time.  So we had to figure out what to do in the mean time.  My parents graciously let us move in with them while we buy a house.  We put all of our stuff into storage and settled into my parents house and the home loan process began!

We were just informed that for the loan they need all W2's from 2010....Well....me being the organizer that I am, filed away everything from 2010 and before.  Which of course meant the box or bin with all those papers was somewhere in one of our 3 storage units. I tried to find ways of obtaining copies of them so I wouldn't have to go dig them out, but there was no way, save it be to pay lots of money to the IRS and wait weeks for them to come.

Today I decided that I would go and look.  I had narrowed it down to 2 storage units that it could be in.  So I opened both doors and immediately felt discouraged.  They were stuffed full and the front was full of odds and ends thrown in.  I called my husband and told him that we would have to come back on his next day off and unload the storage unit.
After I hung up the phone, I said a prayer.  I felt strongly which unit it was in.  I then had a feeling to start moving out boxes on a certain side of the unit.  So I started pulling out a dresser, baby bassinet, and lots of boxes and odds and ends.  I finally reached the stacks of bins (about 6 feet back) and couldn't see any labels.  Again I was discouraged.  I was about to put everything back in when I noticed a small bin that had been put on the bottom of a stack of boxes, which was crushed from the weight of everything on top of it.  I figured I better unbury it and put it on top.  As I moved the whole stack that was on top of it, I kept noticing a box with squiggly writing on it....not my handwriting.  I ignored it and moved on.  But my attention kept being drawn to it so I finally decided to read what it said....and there were the words (in my husband's "fanciest" writing) "Important papers."  

I had found it!  But truly, it wasn't me who had found it.  I was directed to it.  Had I ignored those promptings to dig a little further and to read what was labeled on a box that I thought for sure wouldn't be the box I was looking for (I thought I had put them into a bin and labeled it myself), then we wouldn't have the papers that we so badly need for our loan.  I immediately thanked Heavenly Father for his assistance in finding the box....the needle in a haystack, so to speak.  I am truly blessed.

Moments That Change A Life

Last week on Monday, my husband's parents and brother were supposed to be driving across the state to visit us.  Instead my husband and I drove over 6 hours to the hospital where my father-in-law lay on life support, so that we could say our goodbyes.  Then we stayed by his side as he passed on.

It was one of the saddest and hardest things I have ever had happen in my life.  I have lost many people in my life, but had never been with someone as they passed away.  As sad as it was to be there, I am glad we were able to be there.  We were able to say goodbye and we were able to be there with him so he wasn't alone as his life slipped away.

This experience has really affected me.  I have been grieving deeply, but have also learned from this happening. I learned that it is important to always let people know how you feel about them so that there are no regrets if they pass away.  I have always felt awkward with being "touchy/huggy" with people or telling people I love them (other than to my husband, my children, and my parents).  I don't want to continue that route, so I have already begun working on that in myself.  I am pretty sure I caught my brother-in-law off guard when I gave him a hug this past week, but I know I would feel awful if anything happened and he never knew that I consider him my brother.

I know this is completely cliche', but life really is too short.  Goes along with the other cliche' of "live like there's no tomorrow."  I started to realize this after my husband and my dear friend passed away last fall and now with losing my father-in-law it is cemented into my mind.  So now I am making changes in my life.

There is a song that is now one of my favorites, which I think fits very well for how I want to be now.

For King & Country "Proof of Your Love"