HOW WE GOT OUR HOME:
Jeanne and I raised our family in a townhouse complex in Vancouver . It was a housing co-op which was a nonprofit housing society. It had mixed income families living there and the rents were very reasonable. Everyone was expected to do some volunteer work in order to contribute something over and above the rent paid. I, of course, headed the landscape committee and spent most of those 35 years we lived there enhancing the grounds. For the last 10 years I was hired as contractor garden service to maintain the place and it was a lucrative contract. This reasonably priced home allowed us the extra money to travel and not worry too much about finances, especially in the last twenty years. About 10 years ago, I felt that we needed to think about where we wanted to live in retirement. We lived in the center of the city ( that is the geographic center) and there was a lot of traffic all around the complex. It was noisy and busy although our complex was a little oasis in the chaos. I also was developing a keen interest in pottery and wanted my own studio. We reviewed our finances and our options and felt that we could afford to buy a home. The question was where to start. You may not know this but Vancouver house prices are through the roof. A 60 year old bungalow, not in great shape, could sell for a million bucks. This was way out of our price range so we needed to look further afield in order to meet our criteria. The plan was to possibly rent the house out in order to help pay down the mortgage and move in when retired. A friend had invited us to come stay with her in her new home in a village called Gibsons which is a short ferry ride from Vancouver. We happily obliged and found this town to be ideal in almost every way. Thus began our house search on what is called the Sunshine Coast. The advantage to living outside of the city is price. This was a big advantage as it was less than half city prices. After a few ventures with our agent, we saw many ordinary and not so appealing residences. We were discouraged but persisted. We also didn't really know what we were looking for and that did not help our agent in selecting candidates for viewing.
We had a plan to ask Jeanne's father to lend us some money since he was very frugal and had lots of savings . To facilitate this plan, we invited Jeanne's folks out on one of our house hunting forays. They eagerly accompanied us and Dad had lots to say about each viewed home. There was nothing once again that caught our eye so the day was a bit of a bust except for the trip home. It was pouring rain, we had missed the ferry and were stuck together in the car for the two hour wait for the next ferry. I saw this as my opportunity to pop the big question about a loan. We were hoping for about 30K to add to our saved down payment. I asked my question tentatively and was hammered with a lot of questions regarding our finances and the logic of buying this late in our lives ( I was 50 at the time). This was typical of Jeanne's dad who is a diamond in the rough but a little rough at times. Old school if you know what I mean and very blunt with his opinions. You can imagine my trepidation in asking the big question. But ask I did and his reply was quite astounding. He offered to loan us much more than what we were thinking of. My budget was immediately upped and thoughts of fine living dancing in my head
. When we finally boarded the ferry, we all sat facing each other by the window. The girls had to go to the washroom. Eric ( Jeanne's dad) and I were alone sitting on opposite sides. He seemed very uncomfortable and was literally squirming in his seat. I assumed he also needed the washroom. Suddenly out of the blue, he blurted out that he was not going to lend us the money but give it to us. I was absolutely stunned because this was so out of character and his money was in many ways his measure in his mind of his personal success. He was willing to part with some of that fortune in order to gift us with an easier way to get what we desired for our retirement. Very unusual behavior to say the least and I must say that all I could do was blurt out in response a weak thank you as I was totally taken aback by his offer.The next weekend, we made another trip over for our house hunting. More uninspiring homes were paraded before us . At the end of the tour our agent declared that there was a house that had just come on the market and although it was not in line with what we said we wanted Iit was available for viewing and we had time before the next ferry to have a look. We accepted the invitation and she set up the visit. We initially said that we wanted acreage, flat and a view didn't matter. Now this home was on a steep slope, a quarter acre in size and a stunning view of the water and mountains. Although a little skeptical, Jeanne and I ventured forward in different directions. On the property was a large out building with a little sign that said pottery on it. Intrigued, I went in and saw my studio already in place and inviting. The week before I had a dream that the house that was meant for us had arbutus trees( a very lovely indigenous tree to coastal BC) on the property. There were three arbutus trees . I then made my way up through the house. Jeanne and I met in the living room looking out at the view, then looking at each other with that knowing that this was the place. We made an offer and closed the deal within a few days.
Now the people who owned the house were elderly and had built it for their retirement. Because of the stairs and the uneven property, they were having trouble coping with the challenges of living there. They loved their home but when an agent came knocking on the door and convinced them to sell with the caveat that in todays market, it will take at least 6 months to sell .So they would have plenty of time to get used to the idea. We bought the house even before the sign went up.
We took possession of the house approximately 11 years ago. I put in a lot of sweat equity since then. Renovating both the upstairs of the house and the garden. It is a different place. Jeanne's parents contributions continued to help us pay off the mortgage and within 5 years it was done. At that time we gave notice to our tenants and moved in. It took another 5 years before we retired but commuted on weekends over to our bit of paradise and have retired this year . We often pinch ourselves with the gift of all that we have. The material provided did not end with just the house but every time we wanted to renovate a room, many things happened to bring about our wishes both in a way that was financially reasonable and with the help from friends and family, it was done without a lot of labor costs . I would say that about $120,00 worth of renos for less than half that amount. We obtained a used kitchen from one of my wealthy customers who was renovating and was going to throw it out. I once asked a guy who was at a party at our home and who was a kitchen installer how much he thought this kitchen would cost to install brand new. $50 K was his reply. It cost me less than $10K including all new appliances. Furniture came to us from friends and relatives, even off the street. Garage sales abound in this area and many wonderful things were acquired at very low prices.
Abundance has flowed into our home and into our lives. All has been without a doubt a gift from God. Yes, we worked hard as well but received much more than what we contributed. I was also shown that a flow of energy goes through the house and property and this is a blessing for healing and spiritual nourishment. We conduct regular prayer circles here and have many folks who just drop by because they are drawn to the place. It has a purpose and a place in the unfolding of God's plan for us and in our gratitude for all these gifts, we share generously with those who are within our orbit. The flow continues as we allow God to work in this way not only for our benefit but for others as well.
So God gifted us with this material benefit so that we could continue to do His work and provide a place of healing for others. We co-created the opportunities to accomplish this material gain and our motives were not just for ourselves only. There were also resources available to facilitate this manifestation. The story of our home is just one of many such blessings in our lives. We have lived a very rich existence enhanced every step of the way with many gifts and experiences. Far too many to say that we are just lucky. We were open to them and I believe that the light that we carry because God surrounds us with it, attracts many beautiful souls and wonderful events. We have had many travels on the cheap, on some of our flights we were bumped up to first class. Some travels were won by us and others were deeply discounted or free. We have been invited by strangers to attend weddings in different countries, escorted to private retreats in exotic places, and given private cultural demonstrations of music and dance by people that we have met through various circumstances. I believe that all was guided and gifted.
I'm not listing all these benefits and blessings in order to brag and cause envy. I merely want to demonstrate that material benefits can come with spiritual effort. God will grant you much but also asks much in return. The economy of life suggests that nothing is truly free. There is a price and that price is a willingness to be His channel of Love where ever you go and whatever you do. None of us is a perfectly clear and selfless channel but if you are open, willing and capable, you too will benefit from this flow of abundance. Fear closes you off from it while faith opens the door. Our choice and ours to receive abundantly. May God grant us all the blessings available to us where ever we are in the world and whatever our life circumstances are and mayGod bless those willing to work with Him to create a better life for themselves and for others. Much love to you..........Al