We have moved! It was on Thursday 7^th November 2024, and we only knew the date for certain the day before, to elsewhere in the City of Southend-on-Sea, England. Big deal (NOT) I hear some say, but for us it was a huge deal and in many ways we can see the hand of God behind it and have been touched by many acts of kindness.

Soon upon our return to the UK from our three-month trip to India, at the end of February, we made the momentous decision to move house. This was the last thing I wanted, especially since I was happy and settled where I was. I had a great set of neighbours (moreover, I have seen generations come, grow up and go, only to be replaced by new families over the years), yet there was the matter of health and what is best to consider. I have lived in my house or the house next door that had belonged to my parents (barring a 10-year gap) before they died, since 1966, but given my growing disability we felt we needed to move to somewhere more disabled friendly, while still maintaining our regular activities and associations within the city. And I can’t pretend there weren’t bumps in the road to negotiate and stresses to be dealt with, as well as a buy/sell paradigm that had changed considerably since 30 years ago when I last had to do it!

I will spare the details, which no doubt are not so dissimilar to the experiences of many who read this who have had to move home. There was the matter of appointing estate agents, solicitors, removal people, surveyors to act on our behalf, as well as find our ideal home for a price we could afford that wouldn’t stretch us financially and would give us freedom to do stuff that would bless other people. The big difference from the norm was that there were two houses up for sale: the house we were living in and the house I had inherited from my parents. Moving on the day went remarkably smoothly and we were well looked after. In the end, the biggest concern was moving our beloved cat. Now we look forward to living in our new home.

It took a lot longer than I had imagined but it all came together at the end despite only sealing the deal the day before we moved. There was lot to sort out, even more than we had imagined, including our deciding on stuff to dispose off and stuff for our new home (packing was an activity that we had embarked on a month earlier, with the need to be practical). But here we are – nicely settled in, surrounded by boxes to unpack. We give thanks to the Lord, and give our new home to Him, that it will be a welcoming place to all who visit us.