Moving Masters

So after deciding to leave on Sunday I was a little nervous about finding a new place in a good amount of time, keeping J in her school, getting things moved out, etc. My city has a lot of nice areas but those nicer areas do not have a lot of choices for rent and keeping it cheap can be difficult. When we lived alone before we paid $1400/month just for the rent which is pretty ridiculous. So I started looking for something cheaper and determined that I could either get a two bedroom apartment in a shady area (looking at the crime maps I found 5 sex offenders and 10 violent crimes in a week within a 10 block radius of the apartment) or I could get a one bedroom apartment in a nice area. I had settled on staying in the same apartment complex I currently lived in and just getting a one-bedroom to share with J - turns out the square footage was almost the same as many two bedrooms - and I was planning to go in and sign papers on Wednesday. When I talked to my pastor's wife on Tuesday about this, she had some reservations about me staying in the same complex. Some distance was needed. I mentioned to my small group on Tuesday that I was moving and on the way home, one of the women mentioned a condo she had looked at previously that week that was two bedrooms and two blocks away from where we were living. So, I called to look at the condo Wednesday morning. I went in at 10 and spent about 15 minutes looking at it - it was pretty nice, great area, nice condo community, quiet, etc. and asked her when I could move in - that day, the next? She called the condo owner and they had me fax my application to them. I got it to them at 12:30. At 4:00 I got an email that I was accepted for move in as soon as I wanted. I called my pastor and he said he's get some guys to help move. At 8:30 AM on Thursday a group of 7-8 guys were in my apartment loading stuff up. At 9:20 I got the keys and signed the lease. By 11:30 AM, the storage unity was empty and everything was in my place that needed to be there. At 6:00, a guy came by with a brand new bed frame (I only have a mattress) and set it up for me. And at 10:30 PM last night, every box - except the 7 that are in J's tornado of a room - was unpacked and everything in its place.
I am so thankful for the support system I have in this city. It's hard living far away from my family (my closest family lives 1 1/2 hours from me and the rest live 16 hours away) when things like this happen, but as soon as I told two people at church about the issue, they started praying. As soon as I said I was moving, people stepped up with help. I sometimes feel cut off because I'm not the most social person. I don't like hanging out with large groups of people and I don't like having to ask for help. I tend to just try to do things for myself and that has served me pretty well. I'm able to live independently and take care of what needs taking care of. But there are times when I just can't manage on my own. I need a shoulder to cry on sometimes. I need a helping hand to get things done sometimes. I need a place to hang out sometimes. I need someone to tell me they love me and they'll be praying for me sometimes. These past 5 days I've had all of the above and I don't know how I would have made it through without them.
But mostly I'm thankful to God for working out the timing of everything. It's Spring Break this week so I had some time and space the melt down. My small group friend had just looked at this condo and the very time I needed a suggestion of a place to rent. The guys from my church had time, or took the time, to come and move me in the morning of a working day - none of them were college students with Spring Break. I had people to hang out with on Tuesday and Wednesday night so I could get out of the house and avoid the venom that was dripping from the mouth of my spouse. He clearly took care of me this week and I know He will continue to do so as I adjust to all this in the coming days/weeks/months/years.
And I'm thankful to all of you reading this blog with me. I know many of you have been praying for me, too. I know you have, because I've felt the blessings that came from that. And now I'm going to stop with this because I've cried way too often over the past year and I would like to avoid making a scene in the coffee shop today. I love you all and, even though I can't give you a real-life hug right now, I am sending cyberhugs and kisses (since it's virtual, I can be more fake touchy-feely than I would be in real life) your way.
OK, to end on a lighter note - J asked me if I was going to look for someone else to date. When I told her I wasn't going to, she expressed concern that I would be lonely when she left me. I told her I would be fine - meaning to tell her that I would have my job and my friends to keep me company. She then proceeded to tell me, "Yeah, you'll have your cats to keep you company." Punk!