When a friend recently came by to see my new house, she exclaimed with delight, “It feels just like your old one!” This comment could have seemed odd, as the two homes look very different. My new home is modern and I’m the first owner. It’s in a village and has a small garden, which I’m just starting to fill. My previous home was a thatched farmhouse over 400 years old and three times the size, in a large garden surrounded by fields and open sky. Still, I know what my friend meant. There is indeed a continuity of atmosphere between my new address and the previous one, and although the location, bricks, and mortar are different, this new place expresses for me the real sense of home—a place that reflects peace, harmony, and beauty.
Over the years, I’ve had many adventures in finding a place to call home, so when I decided to downsize a few years ago, I knew I would be guided in this step as I had been many times before. All the same, it seemed a big challenge.
I first had to get my motives quite clear. In an article published in the Christian Science Sentinel, I found this advice: “Go where you can give and grow” (David Stevens, “Just keep climbing,” Christian Science Sentinel, July 18, 2005). I took that to heart. I realized I had to be open-minded and drop preconceived ideas about how my new home should look. I refuted the idea that I was dependent on realtors to find my right place. While I could certainly appreciate their help, I knew that God would take care of me.
