It's Only Money, Right?

We have been settling into our new home over the past five months. The first three of those months were filled with snow, snow, and more snow. We were busy, though, and being inside worked to our advantage. We got so many things done on the house, mostly in the lower level. Then in May the trades-people came in. Our plumber and electrician did the work we could not do ourselves. At last the kitchen was being added for Emily and Eric! We had budgeted for the renovations when we took out our mortgage loan, but of course there are always unexpected fluctuations or adjustments that need to be made along the way. Still, we were only a couple thousand dollars over what we expected everything to cost, so we thought we were doing quite well. We were definitely blessed by friends and family members coming in and helping us do big jobs that we could not have done on our own. That was HUGE! Finally, it was time for Emily and Eric to move in. The move went well, again with the help of friends and family. Though we still have a couple of things to finish down in the lower level, they are living comfortably in the space we created for them.

Here is our space where the kitchen will be!

Now the electrical and plumbing are roughed in and the hole where we
removed a mini-fridge was patched by our friends the Van Havermaets.

Here R.J. and our friend Matt Block are putting in cabinets.

More cabinets and the microwave/convection oven are in!

Cabinets & countertops have been installed, as well as the sink & dishwasher!

Friend Tim Theisen helps install vinyl plank flooring.

Our mostly finished lower level kitchen!!

In the process of picking up new appliances for the lower level, we also started shopping for a new refrigerator for our level. The one we have is older, a bit noisy, and is hot to the touch on the outside most of the time. That doesn’t seem good to us, and we would rather replace it before it fails than after. Still, the price of a cheap new refrigerator (or the cheap one I want, anyway) is around is around $650. Not free, sadly. I keep hoping to find one that has a big scratch on it or something so I can get a discount. So far, no luck.

Just a day or so before the big move, we discovered a problem with our HVAC system. We turned on the air conditioning, and the lower level went full flow while the upper level (where R.J. and I live) got almost no air flow. We made all kinds of adjustments. Don’t get me started in trying to explain the convoluted system they had in place here, with three thermostats and also a “Summer/Winter” switch in the furnace room! Bottom line was that the two-zone system we thought we had purchased was not functioning as it should. The dampers were “ancient” according to the salesman. We needed new dampers, ducts, and thermostats, to the tune of almost $1500. Oh well, it was essential to us living comfortably together, so we bit the bullet and scheduled the service. The newly installed units are functioning perfectly and we are very happy with the work that we had done on Monday of this week.

The two upstairs thermostats that came with the house

The one thermostat we have now. Oh, and a repair job for me! 

Yesterday (that would be Wednesday), Emily and I took their minivan over to the apartment where they had been living, to pick up more of their stuff that didn’t make it into the moving van. As soon as she started driving, there was a terrible grinding sound in the brakes. Not good. Also, the air conditioning in the van was non-functional. Also not good. We did what we needed to do and drove straight home. Once home, I called our repairman to schedule an appointment for the van for today (Thursday). We decided to put off unloading the van until after supper, when it would be a bit cooler. After all, Em and I were pretty heated up from riding around town in an un-air conditioned vehicle.

Imagine our surprise when we went out to unload the van after supper and the garage door wouldn’t open. You guessed it. The old and rusty spring broke. For a moment we thought the vehicles were trapped in the garage, but then R.J. figured out that if he gave an assist, the door would lift. But seriously, why does everything need to break at once? Go away, dark cloud!

The garage door was a relatively inexpensive repair at only $225. The minivan will cost well over  $1000 to repair, cheaper than we were fearing, but again – not free. As R.J. said when I asked him if we should go ahead and get the van repaired, “It’s only money.” Yes, it’s only money, but it easy to become a bit discouraged!

We just returned from a family vacation where we also spent money. I don’t regret a penny of that, but it still contributes to the whole financial picture. I was really ready to whine when I was struck with those words R.J. said: “It’s only money.”

Viewing God's artwork (on vacation) - PRICELESS!

Spending time with family (on vacation) - also PRICELESS!

We are blessed to have good health, when some very dear friends do not. My heart is breaking for them. Life can change in a heartbeat, and we know that. We are blessed to have our family all nearby, so we can see them often. We cherish the connections we have with each of them, and the connections we are making with our new granddaughter. We are blessed to have amazing friends who have helped us above and beyond what we could ever expect, all without thought of compensation. We are blessed to be able to call people to fix things when we have no knowledge of how to fix them ourselves. We are also blessed by people like the garage door guy, who replaced an extra part when he saw something that the previous owner had cobbled together that was not functioning well. He did that after he told us how much we owed him and didn’t charge extra for it. We are blessed to live in this very nice home, with its aging parts. We are blessed to be in a position to handle the extra expenses, even if doing so makes us a bit uncomfortable. There are worse things than being uncomfortable. Each expense reminds me of God’s provision.

OK, I think I am ready to exhale now and let God be God. I will leave the big picture to Him and try to do one thing at a time. I will also try to do each thing the way He asks me to do it rather than insisting on my way.

Dear God, help me not to cling to possessions or money. Help me to remember that my security is not in the wealth of this earth but rather in the wealth of my relationship with You. Help me to have my hands open to give and to serve and to bless others as You direct me. Help me to listen better and respond more quickly when You call. Thank you. Amen.