AH, TO BE CONTENT

It has been about six weeks now since we made the biggest leap of our 45 years of married life and moved half the country away, relocating from New Jersey to Florida.  

When we arrived in mid-September it still felt like August.  It was very hot and humid.  Since I carry my own post-menopausal heat source with me at all times, I spent most of my days indoors, while Jim, somehow, sat outside all day in the sweltering heat, seemingly without breaking a sweat.  

Now however, just a few days from the start of November, the days begin in the high 60’s, so we have our coffee outside on the lanai.  Some days are a bit humid, others are gorgeously dry.  In the afternoon, the sun can still get pretty hot, but several days recently when I went out to the pool to cool off, I have had the gorgeously warm water all to myself, what pleasure!  And then every evening, when the breezes are blowing and the temperatures have dropped to the mid-70s, we eat our dinner outside. Sometimes I have to ask Jim to pinch me because it’s hard to believe we actually get to live like this!

After suffering from a very uncomfortable jaw and terrible nights of sleep for weeks after we got here, I went to a dentist and was prescribed a night guard, protection from grinding my teeth at night and putting stress on my jaw.  By the time the guard was ready (3 weeks later) my jaw no longer hurt!  The stress of selling a house, and moving out, and then in, to a new place in a new state was finally behind me.

We’ve been attending a wonderful church down here, which is a bit of a distance away.  It has so many ministry activities that sound great to us – Bible studies, tutoring in a local school, ministering to the shut in, mission trips to the Dominican Republic – but we have decided not to get involved in any of those kinds of activities in this time of transition.  We filled our Samaritan Purse Christmas Child boxes, donated things to a school outreach, and I’ve volunteered to bake for another fund raiser – but otherwise we’re keeping a low profile.

Having seen the movie, War Room, back when we first arrived, I find I’m content to spend more time in Bible study and prayer, asking the Lord to do in the lives of those for whom I pray the things only HE can!  These times are very sweet and uninterrupted by other activity.  

Before we left New Jersey Amazon had a good sale on Rosetta Stone so I bought level 1 Spanish and have been spending delightful time refreshing those lessons I had all those years ago in high school Spanish.  Only Rosetta Stone makes it way more fun!

Our house in Davenport finally has walls and a roof and it’s exciting to think of moving in.  But for now, Jim and I are really content – and after months of fixing up the NJ house, then wondering what it would sell for, how long it would take, when the closing would happen, etc. – feeling content is wonderful.

Every day we have something for which to feel so grateful to the Lord – green all around, swimming in October, eating outdoors (which we loved in NJ!), uninterrupted quiet times, the friendliness of the people here, a bigger kitchen to prepare meals in, two great churches to attend (here in Ft. Myers, and also in Davenport), and many opportunities to seek the well-being of this place where the Lord has us.  

And lo and behold, I now have a dishwasher!  I never dreamed having one could be such bliss!