This will go down as a big week in our family history. Last night we celebrated my sister's book launch at an amazing restaurant in downtown Oakville. Incredible. It was so special to hear her journey, see all the people who showed up to celebrate her, listen to my cousin and his daughter perform their amazing musical talents and then just to enjoy reconnecting with people - which happens to be my personal favourite thing in life.
The whole time I was thinking, "in two days my parents' life and my brother and his wife's life is about to change". After 39 years of living in the same house, they are moving out. Not quite into the new house, but into my sister's as their place isn't quite ready, but in a couple weeks they'll be officially into another home much closer to us, just 17 minutes away. I can't imagine how tough this has been on them, packing up their life after being in one place for so long, but they've done it and are still doing it and it'll all be moved out on Saturday once and for all.
It's a much smaller space they're moving into, but you know, it kind of makes sense to pare down, but it'll probably take some getting used to. How wonderful it'll be to have them near by along with my brother and his wife and they're adorable little family. I still can't believe it's happening. Praying it will all somehow come together and that God will guide the process so that things will go smoothly.
Meanwhile.....life on the winery has slowed to a standstill with customers, except when it doesn't. Over the course of the summer we made some great connections with customers and they loved our wine. On the weekend with a snowstorm on the way last week, 3 different couples came by around the same time, for a glass of wine and then a couple purchases. But they didn't take one bottle home, they would buy a case, or half a case. I couldn't believe it. The snow was coming down hard, but they drove over anyway, because two of them were local - once was from Windsor - they were determined to come. The best thing about locals is that they're local! They buy from us because they like supporting local businesses and they like our wine. It is quite something. I was in shock.
Knowing we had an outdoor winery, we knew we had to come up with an indoor experience. RM nailed it when he decided to put a stained glass class together. We now have over 60 students who are signed up and ready to enjoy making stained glass classes....even into January now. Those classes are now filling up as well. We are in shock. We honestly can't believe it. God is so good and He's being so faithful, even when we are so faithless. I am always in shock when I can buy groceries and that I have been buying groceries since June with no paycheque. I was able to pick up coats for my boys. I just can't believe it. We hoped for this. We prayed for this, but we never knew what it would look like. So amazing.
Then, because life can't be funnier, my husband did another funny thing. He applied to be on a TV show called "Farmhouse Facelift". Our house is falling apart. There's no denying that. Every day it gets worse. We have to do something, but what? I had seen this on Facebook a couple years ago, but we were too busy to apply. Now, we're busy, but we're desperate, so we applied! He filmed our whole house in the messy state that it was....I was embarrassed, but oh well. Maybe it'll get us sympathy. I wish we had heard the same day, but we didn't and maybe we never will orrrrrrrr, maybe we will?! If we do hear, I'll follow over dead. It isn't free even though it looks that way. You have to come up with a HUGE sum of money, but we're so desperate that we're willing to do whatever it takes to come up with that money. What we like is that they will design, bring in the trades, and have it all done in a certain amount of time. We can't do that on our own. They won't do the whole house, though our whole house needs to be done, but they'll do the main areas and then hopefully, by some miracle, we'll eventually be able to do the rest. We are a work in progress, what can I say? All I know is I don't know how much longer we can go with the house the way it is.....it is in rough shape. Praying, all the time.....
What I read in Scripture all the time is the word "finished"..."Thus all the work that Solomon did for the house of the Lord was finished." From the beginning of Scripture you see that there's the start of creation and then the end. He didn't leave the earth half-done. Solomon didn't leave the temple half-done. Some of Jesus final words, "It is finished" even reflect the fact He had a job to do and He completed it entirely, on a much larger and more significant scale, of course, compared to a dumb renovation. I believe we have this ache in our hearts when something gets started and not completed because we're wired to complete things. Yet, I know we live in a fallen world, and maybe that's the problem. Maybe this side of heaven we won't get to see things "complete" the way I long for and I accept that. I just know that God creates us with these desires and so I thank God for how he's wired me and I humbly ask God to help us and our sick house that is rapidly deteriorating. In the meantime, I continue to steward the the mess and chaos, knowing in the big picture it doesn't really matter. I have shelter, food and clothing - we're good.
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