Downsizing To a Little Fixer Upper For Retirement

Retirement is just around the corner!

As we thought about OJ’s upcoming retirement, we decided we wanted to spend this next stage of life in our home town. We have never strayed too far, but we have moved several times, and we felt it was time to go back home. It didn’t take long for OJ to find a little house he liked. I was not so easily convinced, given that this house required a lot of work before we could move in. But, in spite of being over 65 years old, I knew we could turn this little fixer upper into a cute little cottage. 


Join us over on YouTube and follow our progress as we renovate this little house! 

We purchase this little house in November of 2023, and started documenting our progress, with the plan to hopefully have all the renovations inside far enough along that we could move in sometime in the spring.


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You can follow our channel, Coffee Walks and Whatever  here:Coffee Walks and Whatever

My Verse For 2024 ~ Lamentations 3:22-23

 


My verse for 2023 was Micah 6:8

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? 


I wrote this…

As we step into this new year, I acknowledge my total dependence on my Lord and Saviour.  I just want to walk humbly with Him, seeking his guidance day by day as I move forward, embracing change in whatever He has for me.


When I chose this verse last year, I had no idea what changes I would be embracing. Having turned 65 this year, I knew retirement was coming closer for Brian, but late in the summer he started talking about where he wanted to retire. We had originally thought we would retire right where we are now, but things have changed over the years, and we really don’t have anything keeping us here. So, Brian decided we should move back to our home town. I was thinking in a years time, but once he got that idea in his head, he wanted to start looking to see what might be available for housing. And then he found a little house. The first time we looked, just from the outside, I said, “No way, it’s too much work.” At first he seemed to agree, but he kept coming back to it, until I finally agreed to have a look inside. Of course it wasn’t long before we were making an offer, and within a little over a month we were the owners of this ‘little gem’.

I’m not sure what the coming year has in store for us, aside from a lot of work on our little fixer upper, but Brian will be retiring in the spring time, God willing! This will be a new chapter for us, and I’m looking forward to it.


As I was reading and thinking about this year’s verse, this scripture came up a couple of times. It’s one of my favourites. 

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 

Lamentations 3:22-23


I step into this new year thankful for my Saviour and God, for his compassion and his faithfulness. No matter how crazy this world around us is, and no matter how many times we fail Him, God is in control and will never fail us. His mercies are new every day. 


My word for the year is NEW.


Several years ago I wrote a song :

New Every Day



Oh.. gracious is our Lord...., and blessed be his name. 
Holy in all his works...., and righteous in all his ways.
 Great is our.. Lord, and greatly to be praised. 
His compassions never fail. They're new every day. 
 New every day. (new every day) New every day. 
New mercies every morning, fall like dew by God's grace.
 New every day. (new every day) New every day.
 God's compassions, his.... mercies are new every day. 
 God upholds me when I fall..... lifts me up when I'm bowed down,
 opens up his.. hand.....there satisfaction is found.
 Faithful is our Lord..... extending his great grace. 
His compassions never fail, they're new every day. 
 New every day. (new every day) New every day. 
New mercies every morning, fall like dew by God's grace. 
New every day. (new every day) New every day. 
God's compassions, his mercies are new every day.
New every day (new every day)New every day
God’s compassions, his mercies, are new every day