Somewhere Over the Rainbow...

It's been awhile since I gave an update on "the house." For weeks the outside has appeared "done" while the inner-workings have been coming together one at a time. Every time someone asks when the house will be done I just roll my eyes. Mostly because building a house is like waiting for adoption - you just don't know "when." Funny how this experience of "patience" is repeating itself. The answer to the question is always "a few weeks." It was 4 weeks on Labor Day. 4 weeks later it was 4 more weeks. So I'm not going to give a "date" because no one really knows. Suffice to say, holiday decorations SHOULD be going up in the new house.

A little more than a week ago we were hit with a bad storm...only it left the most beautiful rainbow that seemed to be spanning the horizon from the front yard to the back yard. This is just a reminder that God's promises are true. His word never fails. His love is unnending. He IS faithful!

Going Green

No, I am not on a "green" save-the-planet kick. (Although, with energy efficient appliances and 40 watt bulbs being the max you can put in a light fixture, I'm learning the government is forcing any new home to fit that bill.) But it certainly stands out being the only "green" house - literally - in the neighborhood of 250 homes in Russell Springs. The Cypress siding is being accented by Rustic Edge (textured taupe) shakes on the eaves. This will be complimented by cedar posts on the front porch with layered stone to tie it all together. The shutters will be a dark brown and the front door - I'm not sure yet. There's white trim on the green. I couldn't picture it but now that I see it, it's a nice finishing touch.

Drywall started going up and they were even hard at work Saturday. They're saying about 6 weeks.

The Building Begins

The demo crew had everything cleared out by the end of Tuesday, 6/28. There was nothing but a bare lot. Flattened earth, red dirt. (And a big tractor that E wanted to know what his name was. More on that later.) It was an odd site. I can say the emotions from the demolition day have subsided. It still seems weird even going through this experience.

By the end of Wednesday, 6/29 and the 2 month anniversary of the fire, stakes had been pounded to mark the perimeter of the new house and lines had been painted to outline the floor plan. Thursday, 6/30, 3 foot ditches had been dug along those paint lines and concrete poured for the footers (I've learned this is where the support walls/beams will go). Things seem to be moving quickly. At least for now.












In other news, E went to see his first movie in the theatre. CARS 2! He was SOOOOOO excited about going to the movie. His buddies from the sitter's were pumped and ready too. They sat perched in their booster seats, devouring popcorn & slushies, ready for the anticipated feature. I'd like to tell you that he sat straight through the 2 hours of previews, mini-film and hte movie itself...but I'd be lying and that just wouldn't be my E, now would it?! 20 minutes in (mind you, he'd been sitting for 45 minutes at this point) he wanted to go outside. Um...not now, son. I'm not here to give a movie review, but once we got to the racing scenes, he was much more enthralled. It was a fun experience. Although, the new reality has hit that he needs to know if every car and truck has eyes and a mouth and what their names are. Uh oh.

Extreme Home Makeover - Demolition Day

I wasn't prepared for it. I had no idea the wave of emotions that would sweep over me. It was a flood - and I do mean a flood of tears and emotions all at once. For nearly two months, I've compartmentalized. "One day at a time." That has been my mantra. Pushing through each little hurdle, obstacle, whatever was necessary for the present moment. So I guess because of that I never allowed myself the time to grieve. Someone said it best today, reminding me I need to process as if it were the loss of a loved one.

But it's just a house...

Still, seeing the first pictures (I wasn't on the scene yet) of the crane demolishing the structure that used to be "home"...it brought the onslaught of emotions that burst forth into waterworks.

Last night I walked around the house thinking "Is there anything else I can grab? Anything left at all to salvage?" Today I watched as a monstrous robotic crane made effortlessly swift movements to pluck single items like the toaster oven from the kitchen counter. Items were falling from the cabinets and drawers, objects that used to be "prized possessions" now being swept up by the claws and pummeled into a pile of rubble. Then WHACK! That same effortless crane just as swiftly became a demolishing force that none of the "stuff" could reckon with. In full force I watched it rip the beams from where the ceiling used to be, tearing down walls as if they were made of toothpicks.

I know. It's a "new beginning," so everyone has said. A clean slate. I'm well aware. But in this moment, right now, I needed my time to grieve. And in my time of need, you were there. I posted "Don't ask...just pray. Please." and within minutes I had responses, comments, texts and emails from dozens who committed to praying. Faithful warriors, you've been there. Praying while we waited for a child. Praying while we went to meet our son. Praying when I went overseas on mission. Praying when mom was hospitalized. Praying after a fire torched our worldly belongings. Praying when things haven't seemed clear. And today without being given a reason, you were asked and you responded. I'm so thankful for you. Thank you for letting me grieve and cry, feeling loved and prayed for the entire time.

We moved into this house almost four years to the day that it burned. Now just two days before the two month anniversary of the fire that destroyed this home, all that remains is a pile of rubble and a concrete slab.

We're told by the end of tomorrow nothing will remain. There will be a cleared piece of land with no remnants of the house that once stood.

I already admitted I needed the grieve time. I needed the ugly cry. And at the same time, I also became strikingly aware that with or without the house, the property remains. The mailbox still boasts 166 Addie Way with or without the residence that once stood. That piece of vacant land can't house a family but it still serves its purpose to hold a house.

While I don't want to over-spiritualize, you know I must draw the lesson. The old house had to be torn down. It could no longer function as a home. The remaining structure sat rotting and decaying for nearly two months after first being destroyed by fire. The emotions came because of the finality of the destruction.

I saw a half torn green wall that used to be a bedroom. It was the room where I knelt and prayed and cried ugly tears asking God for a child, believing Him for a miracle. It was the same green wall that became E's bedroom.

"Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?" Nehemiah 4:3

No, the stones can't come back to life. The burned beams can't support a structure. The mortar and brick are no longer attached. Two months after a fire burned the house that once stood at 166 Addie Way the house is gone but the memories remain.