What was God thinking? (part 6)

Hello there! Sorry I delayed again. I've got a new writing project that's keeping me so busy, my head is spinning!

Well, needless to say I was pretty confused at this point, but I had a sense of peace about it. I think I was starting to realize I needed to let God take control and back off. That's a lesson I'm still learning.

What happened next? God's timing, of course. I look back at it now and see had we sold our house around Christmas, we would have been stuck with no place to go. Moving to another country involves a whole lot of paperwork. So does selling a house. Things were happening, just not fast enough for me.

Right before Christmas, my mother moved in with us so she could let her apartment go. She was coming with us, after all. That's right. Mom was moving to Switzerland with us. She's a brave soul.

The New Year passed and spring approached. A date was finally set for Mike to fly over ahead and find a place to live. As a contractor, everything comes out of your own pocket. This move was on our dime. We were to follow him over in about two months time.

My girls were pretty young at the time, 5 and 9, so we felt good about them making the transition. The idea was for them to go to German schools, so they could learn the language and the culture. Tons of stories coming about that. Stay tuned.

Once Mike left, I had some pretty large tasks ahead of me: pack what we needed for our new home and arrange international shipping, secure what we didn't want to take in storage, and get our four silly cats cleared by a vet for travel. Yes, I was a very busy person for those two months. But it all got done and, so far, everything was falling into place. Except for one of those cats going AWOL for a day, but she turned up, cranky thing that she is!

I have to confess here that I did push things a bit. I thought staying in a hotel for two week before we left would be a great idea. NOT! You know how they say hindsight is always 20/20? It is, and I should have taken the new house owners up on their offer to let us stay in the house longer. Would have saved me a lot of stress and a chunk of money. Oh well…

One thing I remember clearly from this chaotic and crazy time is laying in the hotel bed and thanking God for all that He was doing. I was so overwhelmed and, well, afraid of what was to come. I was so grateful He was in charge and keeping me from drowning.

We were to fly out on a Monday, my daughters, my mother and I. My poor Mom. At the time, she really didn't like to fly much. She was such a trooper. And her boyfriend, dearest man you'd ever meet and who had encouraged Mom to take this opportunity even though it took her away from him, was strangely unreachable.

This is the sad part, folks. The Saturday before we were to leave, this wonderful man died. My heart breaks again thinking about it. My Mom was crushed.

I was shocked and didn't have a clue what to do next.