A New Season... When one door shuts, another door opens

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.” John 14:1-2

Tom and I recently entered a new season in life! As of June 30, 2024 we are no longer innkeepers. The owners of the Inn had to make a difficult, but necessary, decision to close the B&B. The timing was good, and we were all ready for this to happen. We had been innkeepers for almost 15 years (since October 15th 2009) and God had been preparing our hearts for a while, so we were ready for this change. We just didn't know what the next step was, and as of this writing, we are still not sure of all that God has planned for us. 

When we were informed of this decision to close the Inn, we had no clue where we would go or what we would do, we were ready, we just didn’t have any answers yet, lol. The thing about being resident innkeepers is that our residence and our job are at the same place. So, we lost both our job and our home at the same time. We were thankful that we were given ample time to make a plan and find something else. They waited longer than they wanted to close the Inn because they did not want to put us out on the street. But I told them that God had a plan and they needed to take care of them first and foremost. Keeping the Inn open was causing them a great deal of stress and I wanted them to take care of themselves and I knew God would take care of us.

Interestingly their announcement came just days after I was scheduled for knee replacement surgery. I saw my orthopedic surgeon on Friday, May 10th, surgery was scheduled for August 5th, and they let us know about the Inn closing on the following Monday, May 13th. This was not bad luck but very much a part of God's plan. Getting deeper into the details, the surgery being scheduled made it so that I couldn't get a new job because I would be out of work for 6 weeks after the surgery for recovery and rehab, and who would hire me knowing that? Also, because most of our "compensation" at the Inn translated into free rent and utilities, our actual income was so low that I qualified for Medicaid, based on our poverty level income, and that coverage is what is paying for the knee surgery (btw, they had just changed the law in NC and this new law was effective as of December 2023! God’s perfect timing maybe??)  If I, or Tom, get a job it would kick me out of that income level and I would lose the coverage, and I would end up having to pay for the surgery out of pocket, which is not an option. So, we were in quite the pickle! Again, this was not an accident, mistake, or bad luck, but this was God's perfect plan. I felt like he "funneled" us into the direction He needed us to go.

“…And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:3

I have been working with an elderly woman, Gerry, who just turned 94 in July, since August of 2008. I work with her two days a week and lately she has been needing a little more care. I had been thinking she would need me another day and had talked with her about it but it hadn't happened just yet. When she found out about our situation, she was concerned that we would find a place to live that would be out of the area and I wouldn't be able to help her anymore. Initially when we got the news of the Inn closing, I got on LinkedIn and was looking at other innkeeper jobs and applied for a couple on the coast and in the mountain areas, just to see what would happen but not really expecting anything to come of it. I mentioned this to Gerry and she started getting a bit distressed thinking about me not being able to be with her anymore. But just like I told the owners of the Inn, she wanted us focus on us and what we needed and not to worry about her. Another aspect of this is, with the knee surgery, even if we found a place locally (we had a couple friends offer their homes for us to stay in) I would still be out of commission for 6 weeks and wouldn't be able to work with her then either. 

Gerry lives in a townhome that, initially when I first started working with her, she shared with her sister Faye. Faye lived on the second floor and Gerry lives on the first floor. Faye passed away in 2010 so the second floor has been unoccupied since then, except when she had family visiting from out of town. Over the years, if Tom and I got into an argument, I would joke with Gerry that I was moving in with her, lol. That has been something we had joked about but never considered seriously, until now. One morning, when Tom and I were still at the Inn, I was talking with a guest who was there looking to relocate to the area and we were sharing our stories and talking about how God will take care of us, but we just needed to wait for His perfect timing. It was then that I felt God say that we needed to be with Gerry. It was one of those very clear, goose pimply, God moments and I just knew that that was where we were supposed to be!! So, I called Gerry's daughter-in-law, she was the one who hired me to work for Gerry, and laid out our situation and asked if she would be ok with us approaching Gerry about living with her until we could get the surgery and recovery done. She was fine with it, but said the decision ultimately was Gerry's, and suggested that we determine an end date so Gerry wouldn't feel like we would be there forever. So, the next time I was with Gerry, I laid out our situation, and asked if she would be ok if we stayed with her until I could get back on my feet. I told her not to give me an answer right away but to pray about it and talk with her family over the weekend and let me know on Monday what her decision was. Well, she called me on Saturday and said she felt the same way as she did when I asked her on Thursday, that she wanted to help us out and that we could move in with her. Wow. Thank you, God!

We moved in on Sunday, June 30th and have been here for a month now. Since we have been here, Gerry has needed even more care for certain medical conditions that have occurred during this time and her family has said a few times just how glad they are that we are here with her now! In addition, now that we are here, when I have my surgery and recovery time, Tom will be here to take care of me and her! This has worked out so perfectly for both of us! We needed a place to stay and she needed someone to be here with her. Was this an accident?? No. Only God.

The next question is, after the knee surgery and recovery, what will we do? Will we stay here or will God move us somewhere else? My sense now is that we will stay because I think Gerry will continue to need more care as time goes by and it is just so much easier for us to be HERE with her. I do know we will get other jobs because Tom's social security check isn't even close to being enough. We lost the Inn income (rooms and tips) and, since we are not paying rent, I told Gerry not to pay me for the care I give her, so we lost over half of our overall income. Once my knee is healed, my options will open up more. I can work anywhere really, but I think I will look into helping other elderly people. I know there is a big need out there so I may look further into that…? This is just a thought, but I know that God will reveal in His perfect timing what He already has planned for us.

This is where we are now. August 3rd, and my knee surgery is just two days away! So, I am gearing up for that big event and will do what I need to do to get back on my feet. I felt like I needed to write this blog because it literally is the end of an era for us, and the beginning of a new one. God miraculously provided for us, opening the door at the Inn over 14 years ago, providing a place for us after we were nomadic for 15 months. Back then the journey was quite stressful, bordering on terrifying, and incredibly life changing, in a good way. We have learned so much about God and ourselves while we were at the Inn that we are certainly not the same people, but we are continuously being transformed. He opened the door then, and He has closed it now. But the journey is certainly NOT over! The cool part is that, compared to the journey into the Inn, we can see just how much our faith and trust in God has increased and our anxiety level has, very noticeably, decreased as we watch Him work, moving us into this next season. (If you are interested in reading about our journey into the Inn, you can find it here: Caterpillar's to Butterfly's )

Yesterday's Oswald was good for this topic:

The Teaching of Adversity - John 16:33

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

The typical view of the Christian life is that it means being delivered from all adversity. But it actually means being delivered in adversity, which is something very different. ...

If you are a child of God, you will certainly encounter adversities, but Jesus says you should not be surprised when they come. "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." He is saying, "There is nothing for you to fear." ...

God does not give us overcoming life --- He gives us life as we overcome. The strain of life is what builds our strength. If there is no strain, there will be no strength. Are you asking God to give you life, liberty, and joy? He cannot, unless you are willing to accept the strain. And once you face the strain, you will immediately get the strength....

God never gives us strength for tomorrow, or for the next hour, but only for the strain of the moment. Our temptation is to face adversities from the standpoint of our own common sense. But a saint can "be of good cheer" even when seemingly defeated by adversities, because victory is absurdly impossible to everyone, except God.

Father, thank you so much for your amazing attention to details and your care for us! You truly are an incredible loving father who wants, most of all, for us to KNOW you through our circumstances! Thank you for the PEACE that comes from knowing that You are always with me and that Your plan is perfect and my life’s needs have been known by you and provided for long before time began. There are NO accidents or mistakes, just Your amazing plan and timing. With all of my love, Linda

(The pictures I have inserted were all taken at the B&B while we were there… we have hundreds, if not thousands, of them so these are just a few of the favorites)

Extra Credit Reading:

I felt like I would be remiss if I didn’t share just how amazing being at the B&B was. The owner and I would joke, and tell people/guests that, while we made a great team together, Tom and I got the better end of the deal because we got to stay in her beautiful B&B for free and she had to pay all the bills!! Her B&B was truly amazing and the yard was spectacular! It was over 6 acers with a pond, and for a while she had a wonderful swan named Romeo that made the pond look majestic. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2016. The nature we got to see on a daily basis was always breathtaking. The kitchen sink window looked out over the pond and, while I was doing the dishes, I got to see so many wonderful things in nature; The critters, the weather, the sunrises, the changing of the seasons… It was all so nice. I also LOVED working in the yard, with the flowers and the critters, it was very therapeutic for me.

I also enjoyed making the breakfasts for the guests! I was making healthy breakfasts for Tom and I before working at the Inn so it was easy for me to shift into breakfasts for the guests. My people pleasing and approval seeking tendencies worked well in this area, lol! I found a lot of easy and wonderful “guest pleasing” recipes and some became regular staples. But I really liked it when guests had dietary restrictions that I had to find new and unique recipes for. It helped break up the repetition of the “regular” fare. When I had a little bit of extra time and energy, I would find, and try out, new and interesting recipes on the guests and made them my guinea pigs, lol. They didn’t seem to mind it too much.

Of course, we wouldn’t have even had a job if it wasn’t for the guests themselves. We had SO many God appointments I lost count and we came to believe that everyone who walked through the door of the Inn was brought there by God, whether we talked about God or not, they were served, loved and prayed for. God’s presence at that Inn was so peaceful and calming, many guests said they slept better there than at any other time. And there were many times I would walk away from those God appointment conversations just blown away by what God just did. The guests truly were the best part of our job. In almost 15 years I can honestly say that most of the guests were amazing, wonderful, and very special people. We made so many new friends and we hope to stay in touch with several of them.

The reason we were “ready” to move to the next season in our life was mainly due to feeling like we were “aging out” of the job, lol. I will be 64 this year, and Tom is 66, and we were so busy all the time, the work was constant, and we were always having to be “on” 24/7… I guess we were just feeling burned out. That, and the fact that my knee was getting worse and preventing me from doing the things I would normally be able to do.

The owners of the Inn are amazing, kind, thoughtful and generous people, with a fun, silly streak, and it was an honor and a privilege to have been able to work for them for so long. I know that God has them, and us, in His Hands and we look forward to seeing what He will do next.