Five Minute Friday = prompt word, five minutes, just write.

This weeks prompt word:  Celebrate

Celebrate – now that’s appropriate – see we’re in a celebrating mood round these parts – so much so you might see me skipping.

On an ordinary day I’ll go looking for them – reasons to be thankful, to rejoice and to celebrate because it’s there that water turns into wine and it seems wasteful not to, to let all this goodness pass by unnoticed and unseen and unthanked.

But these don’t feel like ordinary days – they feel like days of rain after a drought, like a great weights lifted, like we’ve climbed Mount Everest and didn’t die.

See after years of paying a kings ransom for our mortgage, after four years of paying off our debts bit by bit, week by week, blow by blow – our mountain of debt is now just a molehill and the clincher: we’ve been able to secure  a new home loan with a lender that doesn’t want the shirt off our back for the privilege. Oh that’s some big happy news for us, the thing we’ve been aiming for and praying for all this time, that’s reason to celebrate. Small in some peoples books maybe but monumental for us. We know where we started. (I write a little about that here).

It’s the culmination of Ken’s hard work, a reward for the years of working in harsh conditions, being away from his home and his children. He’s paid a big price to get us here but he’s done it determined, relentless and with a smile on his face.  No small thing.

And the relief for both of us is palpable – these past few months have been like walking a tight rope, so many factors that come into play, every last financial detail examined and reexamined and us with our heart in our hands – I wanted to say “examine this heart – it will tell you everything you need to know”, but it doesn’t work that way.

And as these things go, in a darkest before the dawn kind of way, just as we could see the finish line, out of the blue it looked like we were gonna fall at the final hurdle, the ground suddenly shaky. A job scare and then a health scare that makes you realise what’s really really important – and it’s not bricks and mortar, that makes where we are now all the more a miracle, like an amazing gift – because we know it could have so easily gone the other way

But for the grace of God – – – –

I’m so very thankful for the faithful good people who advised and helped us, so thankful for Ken’s determination and love, so thankful for God’s generosity towards us, the manna by day and fire by night, to keep us moving, to keep us pointed and headed in the right direction.

Out of the wilderness into this spacious place.

That’s reason to celebrate.

– – – weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5

Love to you all

Tracey

Linking up as well  with:

Wholehearted Wednesday, Works For Me Wednesday, Three Word Wednesday, Coffee For Your Heart, Sundays Down Under, Celebrate It Sunday, Home Matters Link Party