Praise Report: God's Provision and My Half-Birthday Present!

Today is my half-birthday. Grab half a cupcake and a cup-a cuppa cuz I need to talk.
Something beyond the largest superlative has happened. My heart is full. 

"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19

I am convinced more than ever that God has a sense of humor. Or maybe it was my own personal angel committee sitting up into the wee hours around their angelic northern lights campfire, that decided miracles aren't just for arcane scriptures, and that every now and then prayers REALLY should get immediate attention in a clearly incredible way to keep the faith-filled jubilant and the sinners ducking for cover and looking over their shoulders for pillars of salt. Send a faithful lightning jolt with flair. Get people's attention. Raise a Hallelujah ruckus.

Whether an act-of-God or a committee of angels, I'll let you be the judge. In either case, I am going to tell you the most amazing chapter to date in my pretty-amazing-life-so-far. This may end up sounding something like a cross between a Disney tale and a schmaltizie Halmark movie, but I promise to stick to the facts. Just the facts. No need for exaggeration or embellishment. The naked facts in this particular episode of my story are just too staggering in their own right. No need to conjure. My imagination is not that well developed anyway. I couldn't have made this up with a whole crew of fiction writers. So let's get right to it. Cupcakes anyone?

For seventy two hours I've been writing these coming paragraphs in my head attempting to figure out how to weave the narrative for my faith-filled Saturday readers into the latest "Praise Report" installment. The only approach that I have come up with, is just to plow on.

Setting the stage. In case you've missed some of the recent back-story. I have been calling 2015 the year of austerity. Writing this year's goals with promise and hope, I never in a gazillion years anticipated that our oldest daughter would within weeks of the disco-ball-auld-lang-syne sing along at the Elks club, be hurtled into a divorce and custody battle over our three WonderPeeps. The toll that would take. Literally. In mid-January we gave her roughly 25% of our 2015 ear marked retirement funds intended for our daily living expenses, to launch her 'legal battle.' Those dollars were spent oh-so-quickly. Agony compounded by reality. I asked for your prayers. I asked, even begged for your support. I've asked for your prayers some more. Let's continue with what I know. I have literally been surrounded by your prayers from all corners of the globe. People that didn't even know what to pray for began the praying anyhow. So it began. The beseeching of heaven. Heaven has been back on speed dial for me this year. And I'm convinced heaven listens. Read on and you'll be convinced. 
Ask and you will receive.

7"In my distress I called upon the LORD, Yes, I cried to my God; And from His temple He heard my voice, And my cry for help came into His ears." 2 Samuel 22:7

ALL through out this spring amazing serendipitous out-of-the-blue speaking invitations were extended and grant dollars received. We cut every extraneous bit of discretionary fluff to be prudent and stay out of debt. We have never been down to our last can of baked beans or sustained ourselves with Ramen noodles, that was the year of 1993, that was the year of my unanticipated divorce and single parent saga. I do know about Ramen noodles first hand, but I digress. In 2015 new dollars came to us from new adventures. And the Clements rejoiced. And the peeps were fed during the winter of '15 and the utility bills were paid, were paid all around, all around and the utility bills were paid all around. And the people sang Amen.

"For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly." Psalm 84:11

Then as is our tradition, we began our snowbird migration from palms to pines, following last month bunking in with the peeps, working back and forth across the Buckeye state/Detroit, we then continued north. {Most financially viable month in recent recorded history: Amen-corner holler now! AMEN!} We made a pit stop in Chicago at a Catholic elementary for me to sing and dance and I left with a zip-lock baggie FILLED with single dollar bills. Makes me giggle. They had literally passed the hat, when they learned I would be passing by. We continued north on the turnpike waving good-by to the Windy City, noting that we should be pulling into our humble home in less than four hours. I could envision sunsets to come.....and we had just passed that final gas oasis when my cell phone rang. 

It is noteworthy to point out that A.) my phone had a charge B.) it was turned on and C.) I was able to locate it mid-sleep stupor TO ANSWER IT. People that interact with me at all on a regular basis can vouch for those details being in alignment, is the certain cue for the opening curtain, during the overture, which officially marks the fairy tale part of this retelling, can now commence, in earnest.

Not recognizing the voice on the other end of the line while being somewhat asleep I had a hard time fathoming the single question from Bill. Bill who? "Would we be willing to sell our place?" Bill where? Bill what? What place? Huh? Seriously? Our sweet spot? Where we are mere hours from arriving to spend the next 4.75 months? Sell it? What? It's not on the market.

I wipe away the sleep drool and mumble some sort of response, from sleep stammering, "uh, let me talk it over with my hubsbund."

What? sell our place? Our haven-on-Earth? What? Bill WHO? So hubs and moi attempt to have a conversation without having any shred of insight as to who I was even talking to. All I can honestly tell you now, is that I can truly recall saying to my hubsbund, "I think you have to call him back. This has to be a God-thing."

"And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” Matthew 21:22

He hit redial after our lunch break. We said yes. Our haven could conceivably become Bill's daughter's haven. Bill who exactly? Yet to be determined.

So we went about the first week of our Door County Season 2015, cleaning the winter grime from the windows with the thought that this might be our last seasonal de-griming of our little place that we love. It was in the course of that 'interim week of not knowing what was to unfold' that we learned that we are just a few heartbeats short of owning this little place of ours for ten years. {My hubs is a planner. We married with the stipulation that we would live together in the Worthington-garden suburban home extraordinaire for ten years. At which point the colossal home would be sold for two small humble places: one north and one south.} How could it already be ten years in this place? Really? A whole decade? Time flies. 

Back to real time. This week. And so on Monday of this week, Bill's daughter arrived from the south and came to look at our place. She kinda luv'd on it immediately. On Tuesday, she made us an offer to buy it!!! She wants to buy our place. Our place that is not on the market for sale. AND she wants to take occupancy at the end of THIS month!!! In like two weeks. This has to be a God-thing-fur-surZ.

Where would we go? Back to the palm trees? We JUST got here! I haven't even seen the first daisy. The tulips are still blooming! Iris. Daisies aren't even scheduled for a couple weeks.

"And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8 

On Wednesday morning we met a realtor to see a place for us to lay our heads, just behind the Green Gables off of 42, kinda edge-of-Ephraim-ish. While this theoretical 'mother-in-law' suite was quasi-suitable as long as we didn't expect to do any entertaining, it did come with the noticeable shortcoming that the three room space has no kitchen. Not even a college dorm sized microwave. How hungry can you get in four months time? By Wednesday afternoon we got a call to see another property with contiguous rental availability and driving out to the north edge of the world we were met with a perfect little cabin on Water's End Rd, with the only noticeable drawback that it is so remote, there is no internet service possible. Ever. Never. Nada. Zilch. Given the choice of no kitchen or no internet, guess which way I was leaning? To be sure, we had options. Options are good. Options are our friend. 

And finally at 6:30 on Wednesday we all convened: Bill's daughter and mom, and brother and sister-in-law and nephew and we signed on an internet-downloadable standard WI real estate contract and our little haven was sold. No realtors involved. FSBO. SOLD! 

Wow. Bettcha didn't see that coming. God did.

For another two weeks we will live in Timber Ridge on Timber Ridge Circle... so funny when the village elders named our parking lot. That happened during our ten year ownership. Funny story that one. There are 36 condos here. A block from the marina sundown, just behind Al Johnson's goats-on-the-roof eaterie and butik, handy dandy to the library and just a few steps to weekly Zumba: sweet spot. Of those 36 condos, two units have been on the market FOR OVER TWO YEARS! For over two years realtors have brought prospective buyers to look at units owned by two sets of our friends. Friends we dine with. Friends we share a wall with. Right beside us!

Bill's daughter has had dual knee replacement and prefers a single floor unit like ours, so she doesn't have to climb stairs to lay her head on a pillow. Our place is easy to LUV: now. Gone are the original pink fluorescent bath tiles. Gone is the boxed in kitchen. We gutted the place, actually we had it gutted. Opened it up. That was construction project number one. The following year we had the same contractor build a four season room on a foundation that had been our unit's slab-patio. Wowza! Ten years of me planting hostas and dividing them every spring. Ten years of harvesting the ferns up by the trash/overflow parking area and transplanting them with tender loving care. Ten years of building a lawn.Ten years of adoration. 

Times up. I guess you'd say that she made us an offer we couldn't refuse. 

The moral to the story. Yes. What is the moral to the story? When you ask for heaven's help, you'd better prepare yourself for the unimaginable. How many people do you know that have sold their place, that was not on the market? I'm sure it happens. It is NOT like we were handed the last known unicorn wearing a rainbow harness. We just never in our wildest saw this possibility on the horizon. In this market. Out of the clear blue. We suddenly have access to ten years of equity and our down payment dollars. Or we will have. The i's are not dotted. The t's not crossed. We have to close on the deal. I thought about keeping the cat-in-the-bag until everything was inked, but why become superstitious at this point? The point is God has provided. 

31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? Romans 8:31

Don't get me wrong. This is wildly BITTERSWEET. Like every juncture leaving something you love for the unknown is bittersweet. There will be tears. It is a transition. That four season room is where I made the quilts for my latest picture book. Crocodile tears. Hubs and I have each other. We have other plans on the drawing table to conjure. Dreams do come true with divine timing. I know in my heart that Saint pulled some strings to make this happen. At this exact juncture. The juncture of need meets prayer. For my half-birthday present. How was your cyber cupcake?

God is good. All the time. All the time. God is good. 

Now you know why this quotation means so much to me on the occasion of this season's first sunset.

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being." Ephesians 3:16

P.S. That takes the pressure off of our side of the equation. Sarah on the other hand, is very much in every way, still up against it. Her back is to the wall. Her efforts with building her own business with Younique cosmetics continue. As in every new business, she has much to learn. Currently. She is in gen-u-ine, desperate need of cyber-hostess folks willing to host a party, so she can share her enthusiasm for the products she demonstrates so well. Those in her immediate circle have risen to the call. Now she needs new blood. She needs you!  

This just also happens to be the week that I was introduced to the amazing life-survivor, writer and humanitarian, Glennon at Momastry. LUV that little before and after glamatization she shared from her blog. Such a heart warming, behind-the-scenes look at the real self and the portrayed self. I suggested that Sarah follow in these footsteps for a before and after insight, of how Younique has transformed her. 

Yes. She knows the image on the left is less-than-drab. Kinda mug-shot worthy. {That was the whole idea.} The unvarnished and the pretend. If you follow her on FB or Instagram, she is really pretending so very hard that there will be a silver-lining emerge in the aftermath of the destruction and vaporization of her marriage. She is attempting to fake-it-till-she-makes-it. She is working diligently at learning all that must be learned. At warp speed. I'm so incredibly proud of her. She needs the support of the village. Literally. 

I know that you might consider it easier to send a check. She also wants to keep her dignity. That old saw about giving a man a fish versus teaching them how to fish. If you would work with her on hosting a cyber-party, she will learn the art-of-fishing, with the potential for genuine growth ahead. That's the learning curve at hand. If you are willing to help support her and the WonderPeeps, please just let me know and I will connect the dots. Now that school is out for many of you -- this could be the perfect time. Gather ye berries as they bloom. 

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."  Romans 8:18

So many things to focus on and rejoice over. This was the week when my parents celebrated their SIXTY-FIRST wedding anniversary. Quite an example to set for the rest of us. A reason for rejoicing. You may now eat the other half of your cupcake. So much to celebrate this week! 

I just went to see that I have had 10 sales at TeachersPayTeachers so far in the month of June. From ten brand new people. People that I don't know. Oh, happy day! For me, that's good. There must still be a few people in school, because these two standards were nine of the ten purchases. Thank you Thank you! Thank you! 

By far the 'winner-at-income-generation' on a week-by-week basis is our distributorship of the WobbleSeat.com effort! I made a new Twitter banner for my Wobble Seat Twitter account. 

The interest is real! The orders are real! The enthusiasm is real! Our gratitude is the most real of all! Your telling others about our efforts at Younique or Wobbles or TpT or all-of-the-above are indeed amazing. 

We serve an awesome God. One capable of dreaming up a solution that wasn't even on the radar screen. Can't wait to see how the next chapter unfolds.