Thursday, October 31, 2013

Blessings

Most of you know that Caroline and I celebrated our 30th Anniversary this year with a trip to Italy and the Greek Isles which we just returned from.   While I was away, Michael, Janet and Bob managed the business allowing me to disconnect for two full weeks.  I feel so blessed to be able to take a break, and not just have things covered, but to have things flourish.  They managed three closings and three new listings while I was gone.  Caroline and I shared the trip with our good friends, Greg and Mary Miller (no relation except for really close friends).  Gary and Mary carried the major burden of planning the trip details, and I am forever indebted to them for including us.  We had a couple of days in Venice before cruising with Norwegian to 4 destinations in Greece.  After returning to Venice, we made our way by car to Cinque Terra, on the western coast of Italy, with quick stops on the way and the way back to Venice.  Cinque Terra was a  highlight for me – five  towns connected by an ancient path with unbelievable views of the sea around every corner.  It is interesting to me that vacations seem somewhat incomplete if there is not a connection to the water.  Lake Hartwell makes coming back to work a little easier for me.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Perseverance

In July, I reported our disappointment that Bank of America dropped the ball on approving a short sale that would have allowed my daughter and son-in-law to buy their first home.  After being under contract for 11 months, BofA “accidentally” sent the home to foreclosure, forcing us to start the short sale process from scratch.  I am happy to report that since that post, Lizzy and Trey found a better house, put it under contract, terminated the original agreement and have closed on their first home.  While the whole process was extremely frustrating, the end result is now that much sweeter.  Thanks for all your prayers for them.  As Caroline and I prepare to celebrate our 30th Anniversary, my new prayer is that our married kids will learn to love each other more every day.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Constant Prayer

We had our first small group meeting of the season this week.  I know about half of the people from previous small groups and there are several  new couples.   We are watching a video series which is focused on the Holy Spirit.  The topic of constant prayer came up, and one of our new members mentioned how important it was to him that he pray throughout the day.  I had several feelings when he said that: inadequacy, envy and wonder, to name three.  I am pretty good about having some time to pray in the morning before the rest my day gets started, but I am TERRIBLE about praying throughout the day.  I have tried to address this in the past with little tricks to help me, like setting a reminder on my calendar or putting up “post it” notes in conspicuous places where I will see them.  I think anything that helps is good.  But I don’t have to look further than my wife, Caroline, to know what the real answer is.  Her heart, soul and mind are tuned into God and the Holy Spirit, and because of this, she is constantly thinking of Him and talking to Him.  I want to be more like her, so I can be more like Him.