Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. – Philippians 4:6

Friday was, by design, a quiet day around Maul Hall East. Rebekah has way too much on her plate, I have a boatload of details to attend to, and at the same time we are trying to juggle both the present and the immediate future for three houses: A) the one we are renting, B) the one we are trying to sell, and C) the one we are renovating.

Oh, and in 18 days we are getting ready to leave the country for just over three weeks.

So yesterday we tried to kick the can (all the cans) down the road a little and at the same time do our best to relax.

The day got off to a good start when we opened a gift from our son Andrew’s in-laws, Chris and Clark. With our rental house stuffed to the gills, overwhelmed wall to wall with hundreds of items destined for St. Patrick Street, there is no way we can even think about decorating for the holidays. So this wreath from Michigan is not only timely but right on the money.

Just a hint of the festive and we are good to go. It doesn’t take much to get us in the spirit of the season.

The latest on 408 Saint Patrick:

Then our friend Jerry stopped by to see how the renovation is going, so we all walked around the corner to see “what’s up?” at 408.

Jerry had not seen the house since August 7 so the progress from his point of view is dramatic (check out the photos). It’s dramatic for us too, every time we walk through, and we can’t help but feel a surge of excitement and anticipation whenever we show friends around.

My expectation (well, hope) is that most of the fine-tuning will take place while we are in Krakow, and that Rebekah and I will return from Europe to discover that something beyond amazing has transpired.

I am still thinking probably mid-late January for move-in. That is not pessimism so much as our understanding that you don’t rush something this good. The house will be ready when it is ready. We are blessed to be renting somewhere that works beautifully while we wait.

So please continue to pray that all the details work out smoothly, and that we will be able to occupy the property in the New Year. Meanwhile, I promise to continue sharing updates along with our vision for this amazing home.

And we are trying to keep Paul’s words to his friends in Philippi front and center: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

In love, and because love makes all things so much better – DEREK