Covet thy neighbor
I was accused of coveting the other day...by my husband! I don't think it is coveting, but I could be wrong...it IS borderline obsessive I'm sure! There is a house in Lincoln on about 35th and J Street. It is huge, it is old, it is two blocks from church and school, it is on a big lot. Need I say more? It is actually one big junk pile. the roof is clay tile, but there are several tarps scattered over it held down with bricks. The yard is enormous, but laden with so much junk, you can hardly see the ground. It sits back off the street behind the gnarliest trees and bushes. The entry is under a grand porch that is also covered with junk. The inside of the house I've heard is or at least was absolutely beautiful and has a staircase in it that was the backdrop for many Lincoln family portraits throughout the years. I don't even have to guess that the character of the house is still there underneath the rubble. We called a few years ago to inquire whether they were interested in selling, and were given a very blunt, cold "no". I'm sure this house in it's prime condition would sell for over a half-million dollars, although in it's current state, it may be more like $250,000, and need just as much work done to it. There is definitely alot of cheap elbow grease that would spruce it up nicely, but structurally, cosmetically and technologically I'm sure it needs to be updated.
This house has been the object of my desire for at least 6 years if not more. It is likely a mere dream, but I have convinced myself that the reason that God led us to Eagle was to slow down, not feel like we need to be involved in everything, reprioritize our time, recognize the importance of our desire to provide a Catholic education to our children and the warmth provided by our St. Teresa's family, reprioritize our finances and realize that we could pay a bigger mortgage that what we were used to in Lincoln 3 years ago. We've been hit with the high prices of gas, so we've learned even more how to reorganize our finances. The kids have been given the opportunity to work outside...work hard outside, and not have the opportunity to go to a friend's house up the street every other day. We've had time to work and play together as a family, and in my mind this is so that when that "J Street House" is for sale, we'll be ready to buy it, work hard to fix it up and be able to pay for it, all the while being two blocks from church and school at which point my life is made less hectic due to less driving all the time. Things will be much more convenient and we'll have a house that is big enough, old, close, convenient and have a spacious yard.
So...with that thought in the back of my mind, it remains a fantasy that in several years could be a possibility. And then someone told me: "Mr. Hamilton (the owner) died about a month ago." WHAT???? We're not ready yet! Maybe his widow will hold onto the house for a couple more years! All of a sudden, I find myself in a state of anxiety, thinking "what if someone else buys it before us? What if she puts it up for sale and the timing is not right for us?" Our parents would flip if we moved...other than the commute to school, they're all happy that we're out here on an acerage. No one wants to help us move again, much less fix up another old house! WOW...I guess I need to just let it go. If it is meant to be for us, it will be ours when the time...God's time is right. You better believe that if and when a "for sale" sign goes into that yard, I will be among the first guest through the door at the open house. Maybe someone will inquire about buying our house sometime soon? I can always continue to dream. And for the record, it's not that I'm not happy with our house, it is just that the J street house is my dream house!
This house has been the object of my desire for at least 6 years if not more. It is likely a mere dream, but I have convinced myself that the reason that God led us to Eagle was to slow down, not feel like we need to be involved in everything, reprioritize our time, recognize the importance of our desire to provide a Catholic education to our children and the warmth provided by our St. Teresa's family, reprioritize our finances and realize that we could pay a bigger mortgage that what we were used to in Lincoln 3 years ago. We've been hit with the high prices of gas, so we've learned even more how to reorganize our finances. The kids have been given the opportunity to work outside...work hard outside, and not have the opportunity to go to a friend's house up the street every other day. We've had time to work and play together as a family, and in my mind this is so that when that "J Street House" is for sale, we'll be ready to buy it, work hard to fix it up and be able to pay for it, all the while being two blocks from church and school at which point my life is made less hectic due to less driving all the time. Things will be much more convenient and we'll have a house that is big enough, old, close, convenient and have a spacious yard.
So...with that thought in the back of my mind, it remains a fantasy that in several years could be a possibility. And then someone told me: "Mr. Hamilton (the owner) died about a month ago." WHAT???? We're not ready yet! Maybe his widow will hold onto the house for a couple more years! All of a sudden, I find myself in a state of anxiety, thinking "what if someone else buys it before us? What if she puts it up for sale and the timing is not right for us?" Our parents would flip if we moved...other than the commute to school, they're all happy that we're out here on an acerage. No one wants to help us move again, much less fix up another old house! WOW...I guess I need to just let it go. If it is meant to be for us, it will be ours when the time...God's time is right. You better believe that if and when a "for sale" sign goes into that yard, I will be among the first guest through the door at the open house. Maybe someone will inquire about buying our house sometime soon? I can always continue to dream. And for the record, it's not that I'm not happy with our house, it is just that the J street house is my dream house!
