Caleb and I had marked a date on the calendar for our projected move-in date. It was two weeks away and I was worried. “Caleb, how are we going to furnish the house?” I asked. We’d spent every penny on construction. In fact, we’d had to take out a loan to finish up the house—the insurance check just didn’t go far enough to cover a new water well and septic system. “Merry, God knows what we need. We’ve asked and we’ll keep on asking. You know He’s never failed us!” I replied, “I know. It’s just…I don’t want my kids having to sleep on the floor!” Caleb laughed and said, “You and I have both slept on the floor many times as a kid. It won’t kill them.” I knew that. But we had nothing. No furniture. No household goods. Not even a blanket. Everything we were using was on loan.
We were spending this week painting. I was good at rolling and Caleb was the best at cutting in. At least our contractor had come with a paint sprayer one night and painted all of the ceilings—and saved us that work. “It’s my final gift to you,” he said as he handed us the house key. Honestly, the house looked better than I’d ever expected! We’d added a front porch and back patio that we hadn’t had before. We’d painted the outside of the house white with black trim with big cedar posts holding up the porch overhang. There were also cedar shutters. It looked very much like an updated farmhouse. We’d also made the kitchen and living room more open. The kitchen had a huge bar where the kids could do homework and the living room had a big, beautiful fireplace. We’d tried to keep it just like the original one which was made with Chicago brick and had a barn beam for a mantle. Henry was getting his own room. The twins would share a room as would the girls. The kids got to pick the color of their rooms—with a little guidance from me, of course. I was excited about our bedroom—it was larger than the original and we’d added a big walk-in closet. Our bathroom got an enormous shower and a free-standing tub. I couldn’t wait to take advantage of that tub!
It was Monday night and the painting was finished—which meant the house was finished. At our last dinner in the FEMA trailer, Caleb asked each of us to share what we’d learned since the tornado. We went around the table and each person had to answer. Henry went first. “I found out how much work it is to build a house,” he said. Sadie giggled and put her hand over her eyes. “Ummm…I learned how to do a flip on the trampoline!” David was next. “I learned how to hit a nail with a hammer.” He’d become quite the expert with that hammer. Matthew, not to be outdone, said loudly. “I learned not to put my arm in a pipe!” (Thank goodness! But…time would tell.) Ellie, following her big sister’s lead reported, “I learned how to climb the ladder.” And then it was my turn, “I learned what a hard worker Daddy is. I also saw his patience and encouragement almost every day. I watched my kids learn new things and help with every project in some way. I learned that we have very generous friends and a big, good God who loves to provide for ALL of our needs.” Caleb started to talk, but choked up—which meant he had the attention of each of his kids. When he could finally talk, he said, “I learned what an amazing family I have. Everyone did all they could to help with the house. But more than that, I saw Henry grow in patience with his siblings. I saw Matthew learn to obey. I saw David eagerly learn new skills. I saw Sadie learn how to wait her turn. I saw Ellie learn how to entertain herself. I saw Mommy find a new level of trust. We all learned that God is good in bad times just like He is in good times. We are a blessed family!!”
Last week at church, Gwenneth, a widow who has wind turbines on her farm and is known for her generosity, found us and gave us a very sizable check. She wanted to pay off the loan for our septic system and water well—and to buy all of the furniture and household goods we would need. She told us that she and her husband, John, had been through a tornado and lost everything and they’d had no help. She wanted us to have a fresh start without struggling. We were blown away—what a huge blessing! A furniture truck was arriving tomorrow.
Steadman Farms was rebuilt. But even better…so were the Steadmans. And tomorrow? Tomorrow was the beginning of a new adventure for the Steadman family!
“Mom?!” Sadie yelled, “Matthew jumped out of the tree to do a flip on the trampoline!”
THE END.
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