The Perfect House

Our family is looking for a house. A fourth person joining us in this tiny, hot apartment in the middle of next summer makes a very good incentive to find a larger place to live.

It's hard not to envision a future happiness that will come in our beautiful new house. I smile thinking about the children sprawled on the hardwood floors, a long river of crayons between them, pictures cascading forth. A kitchen with the smell of baking cookies, flour covering the table, as the oldest helps the youngest stamp out a dinosaur cookie. A yard that attracts the neighborhood children for afternoons of tag and hide-and-seek. A place for my husband to retreat and create, someplace of his own. A nook for me in the kitchen or living room, where I can keep an eye on the children and mend things or write stories or color. A master bedroom, 2 bedrooms for the children, an office, 2 bathrooms--I think all of those are essential.

But I am hoping for more than that. I want a dining room big enough to have 12 people to dinner. I am hoping for hardwood throughout the house. I think it is beautiful and easy to keep clean. I want a kitchen big enough that my husband and I can both use at the same time. I want plenty of storage in the kitchen and elsewhere. I'd like a yard with a good space for a garden and at least one nice tree. I'd like a porch or a front yard that would be perfect for summer evenings with a glass of lemonade and conversation with neighbors.

As a young family, we are wanting to find a house in a safe neighborhood. But we'd also like it to be a walkable neighborhood: a few blocks to a park, a grocery store nearby, a library within a 20 minute walk. It was so nice when I lived in an apartment close to a supermarket. I managed without a car for 3 years, almost 4. Because there was a bus line nearby, it was hard to feel like I was missing out. A bus line near our new house will be important, since we are still a one-car family and I often shop and run errands during the week.

Tonight we are looking at a few houses. It would be awesome if we found the right house tonight. But I know that whether it takes a few nights or many months, God will help us find a house that meets our needs, including the ones we don't even know yet.