The Story of my Apt

I was sitting by the Hudson River today reading and journaling when it hit me that today was supposed to be moving day. Today was supposed to be the day that I would move out of the apt that not only has been my home for 3.5 years, but been a part of my story since moving to NYC.

I love my apt.  It is a rare jewel on the uws that many know and love. It's been on a couple of tv shows and written about in a magazine.  It's housed 4 girls at a time being passed down one from girl to the next when life takes one out of for one reason or another.  It's been my home and I feel really attached to it.  But as much as I love it the time had come to finally give it up.

You see, if you were to ask ANY New Yorker what is one of the hardest things about living life in the city they would tell you housing.  It's hard to explain to anyone who does not live here, but it is incredibly challenging and stressful on so many levels.  And this year after multiple years of very difficult lease negotions with our management company we finally were to the place where we were being forced to vacate our apt.

And though God provided for me another living situation I was grieving the fact that this refuge in the city would no longer be mine. Through the weeks that this was going on The Lord was teaching me to let go, not only with my living situation but with other things going on in my life, and so I asked the Lord to take this from me and do what He will.

And then the crazy impossible happened when my landlord knocked on our door just 1 hour before I had a group of friends coming over to pack up my stuff and help me get my room cleaned out. And through this unexpected interaction the opportunity to stay in our apt arose.  It was so out of the blue and so unexpected, but when I started thinking through all the pieces of what had gone on in the weeks before It was so super clear to me that it was GOD who did this.  It was one of those moments when you just know God is so in the midst of all these crazy things and He cares about our desires, even silly desires to stay in the apt that you love.

There are definitely other aspects of my apt that I am grieving, like my roommate of 3 years moving out tomorrow, but even with the challenges that come with roommates coming and going I am thankful to have this one piece of familiarity stay constant for me a little while longer.

So tonight as I go to bed on the night that I should have been moving out I am thankful.
I am thankful for this place that has housed more dinner parties, community groups, movie nights, out of town guests, wedding showers than I can count.  I don't know how much longer I will be in this place I call home, but for today I am thankful I can still say it is mine.

And in addition to staying in my home I am also so greatly reminded how God really does work out his best in his perfect timing.  He knew all along how this would work out, but He took me through a month of letting go and trusting Him only to give me back exactly what I prayed for in the first place. He really is good like that!