Home, At Last

For all of you who have been following the saga of our up-and-down Real Estate changes, the papers have been signed and we are now ensconced in our new residence at 404 Forest Lane. We had a greal deal of help from our friends and colleagues: Joe Culumber, Brad and Georgeann Shaw, Jim Zahniser, Randy Bergen, Donna Harvey, John Massena, Rick McPeak, Jared Busby, Jerry Moyer, and company hauled load after load from Durley Street on Saturday, the 17th, after we took possession on Friday, the 16th.

December has been cold so far, so the furnace and radiator system is getting a good workout. The main and upper floors have about 2100 square feet and there is another 900 in the basement, which is finished. There are lots of built-in cabinets, shelves, and various and sundry nooks and crannies. Our hope is to have a formal house blessing in January by Dr. Frank Thompson and many of our friends, so stay tuned.

Needless to say, three housing contracts since we first put our house on Durley up for sale, we are pleased to have made the Exodus closer to campus and downtown. I find I am already doing more walking during the day (in addition to my 5:30 a.m. excursion with Dr. Blue every morning). My son-in-law, Rob, and daughter, Emily, gave me an early Christmas present of a combination coffee grinder/maker from Cuisinart which makes a great cup of joe in the morning. It was a great joy to sit with the Post-Dispatch this morning in her breakfast nook at the back of the kitchen and watch the morning light spread its way across Beaumont Avenue.

So, I apologize for the lack of Advent posts. Between preparations for moving, grading student papers/tests, writing a pile of letters of reference, and the move of St. Paul's to College Avenue, life has been filled with chaos and change. My prayer is that our house will become a home and a place of respite for, not only myself, but my family, my friends, students, colleagues, and strangers. If it serves that purpose, then it will have all been worth it.