A Holiday Dream 4 Years in the Making

Spring 2016

It was a few weeks before my husband was leaving yet again on his Navy ship. We left our one-year-old son with friends and went on a wine-tasting trip and had so much fun. So much fun that it made me sad.

I’m sorry to my more conservative Divas but I had a little too much wine, and emotions were hitting me hard.

I wanted this all the time. Why did he have to be gone so much? I wondered. Why did I have to experience Italy without him? It was a lonely existence. I wanted to go home, I cried. I didn’t want to be in Italy if I had to do it alone. I wished I could fast forward and we could get orders back to San Diego, I wailed to my husband.

I asked him through tears, when our orders are up can we go back to San Diego, back to shore duty, and back home to our house?

He said yes. Yes we could try our best to get orders do exactly that.

That was my dream and it stayed in my heart for four years.

We went through a lot – orders that sent us to Virginia Beach for training for several months, and then to Washington state. Then, my husband’s ship changed homeport to San Diego AND we got shore duty orders there as well.

We could go home! We contacted the property management company renting out our home in San Diego, and they said our timeline to move back in was perfect Dreams were coming true!

Except: things changed and we couldn’t get our house back. This was a long and complicated issue with some dishonest people.

I had prayed so hard. Lord, let us be in our home for Thanksgiving.

And then, we got word that the home would be ready mid-November!

I was so ecstatic and told everyone Praise God because my prayer to be in the home by Thanksgiving would be coming true!

That deal didn’t go through.

I wondered why God would answer my prayer exactly, and then rip it away. It hurt a lot. I didn’t lose my faith, and I wasn’t upset with God. I just didn’t get it.

And I know this is not a life or death problem during the pandemic, but it was painful to see my long-held dream slip away especially in 2020.

We began to look at other housing options and stayed in our temporary furnished apartment for 2 months.

I was so devastated. I prayed that we would just get in the house soon, and not have to just go live somewhere else when we had a beautiful home already.

Finally, on Thanksgiving, we got the keys to our house! It was a total shock. God delivered! He answered my prayer literally.

It’s so surreal to be HOME. We’ve never been able to return to a house before. That just doesn’t really happen in military life. But it happened for us. It’s such a blessing. I can’t even appropriately describe what I’m feeling. When we walked in for the first time, I felt butterflies.

I waited so long for this dream that in the military world may never have happened, and had some serious roadblocks along the way. A lot of things had to fall into place to make this happen. But God delivered. I held on to the hope of my dream and God answered.

Now we are spending Christmas here. My husband won’t be at sea. My little family of four plus our sweet kitty will all be together. I can hardly believe it. I love Christmastime. I feel so privileged. So thankful. I don’t need any gifts this year. God has given me the best gift of all.

I know this year has been hard, guys. But don’t give up your dreams and hope for the future no matter how bleak it seems. Our Savior is born! There is hope for this world. Trust in Him.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6