Big decision

So we have finally made what to us is a huge decision.  We’ve decided to move.

It’s taken about two years of thinking, praying and discussion.  For a while we said nothing to the family as we were so uncertain about it ourselves.  We love it here by the sea:  it’s our dream retirement home, with lots of seasidey things going on in a town that has a bus and train station – and a steam train too!

So why even consider it? Well, we’re not getting any younger (of course) and we find ourselves in a tricky situation.  Being realistic, our much-loved flat is in a small block of three, and the other two are second homes.  Which means we’re on our own most of the time here.  Not a problem at all, and the neighbours are lovely.  However, looking hard at the future, one of these days one of us will be left on our own.  We will find ourselves in an empty building.  Our neighbours on one side are already in their 80s.  The ones on the other side are also retired.  There are no neighbours opposite because there is rebuilding of the whole site.  What happens if the one of us that’s left has a crisis?  Nearest child is 3 hours away.

After so long working with the churches here, you’d think we might be able to call on someone to help.  But the church where we have been for the past 7 years was mainly made up of people who don’t drive, and who live on an estate the far side of the town.

We’ve taken our exploration gently.  With a daughter in Bristol, our son in Chippenham, another daughter in Birmingham, and the third daughter in Surrey, for a while it seemed sensible for us to look for somewhere in the triangle between the west country and Brum:  we chose a number of places to look at, and then went and stayed there, looking at different properties.  Nothing appealed, and then Eldest Daughter (in Brum) said that she might well move in the future, so please not to assume she would always be there.

So that took us to Wiltshire, and again, we stayed in different places and looked around and saw properties.  Eventually we found a lovely flat in Bradford on Avon, and were delighted that it had come down in price to be in our very restricted budget.  We would make an offer … but first, we have to put our flat on the market.

So that’s what I did last week, after due examination of a number of estate agents locally and a number of assessments of price.  Houses have dropped in price by about £10,000 over the past year, what with the economy and all:  there is now the beginning of an upturn.  We asked for valuations from a number of agents, and after due discussion settled on one who was in the middle, and who has sold the most properties over the past year.

I wondered how I would feel.  For a long time I couldn’t face the thought of moving:  Devon is so beautiful, and I love it so much, and nowhere else can hold a candle.  But over the past year things have changed for us.  The projects we were so involved in have come to a natural end, and we have moved churches to the next town.  Also, last week Hub was in hospital for surgery, so I had a real experience of being on my own in an empty building.

When I finally signed the estate agent’s forms, I knew it was the right thing to do.

And as we do yet more waiting (we’ve already waited 6 months for Hub’s surgery) for him to get better and for an offer to come in, we’re both praying a lot that God would guide us and provide for us.

As he has always done.