The Family Home – Part Three

By the time our new neighbors moved in I was pregnant with our second child. They were a young couple only a few years older than us. Tom & Kristi didn’t have any children and were not planning to start a family any time soon. They loved the adventure of the great outdoors; hiking, camping, river rafting, bird watching, etc. Kristi and I quickly became friends. She was warm and welcoming and I desperately needed a friend closeby. She worked from home as a freelance writer and so we had the opportunity during the day to get to know each other while our husbands were out working.

In February the rain was intense and I was due to have my baby. I remember Kristi telling me the day after a particularly bad rainstorm the night before, that she and Tom had prayed that I would not go into labor that night and have to travel the miles to Martinez through flooded streets to deliver the baby. We had talked about our mutual faith in God on many occasions but I was still deeply entrenched in a rebellious lifestyle. Soon after I delivered our beautiful baby girl, Melissa Rae, I accepted her invitation to Mom’s Day Out at her church. With a newborn and a little boy less than two years old, I was in dire need of a “Mom’s Day Out”! I continued to go to MDO with her and began to go to church with her and Tom more and more from then on. Kristi stood with us when Don and I dedicated Melissa to the Lord at nine months old. Don dedicated himself to Jesus that day, as well.

The following spring things began to change for Tom at work and he was offered a transfer to Texas. They chose to accept the offer and so, just a little less than two years after moving in, Tom and Kristi were moving out. How I hated to say goodbye to my dear friend! She had helped to guide my rebellious heart back to Jesus through her sincere friendship and faithfullness to God. She had come to my rescue more than once when I was overwhelmed with the responsibilty of raising two babies. We had made handmade Christmas gifts together and she had loved my children. I enjoyed the visits we had in each others homes and knew that I would miss her desperately when she was gone. I remember sitting on the front steps of Kristi’s house with her the day before she left as we tearfully shared with each other the treasured memories of our time together on Pine St. and the affection and appreciation we had for one another.

Not only had my affection and apreciation for Kristi grown over those two years but I had grown to love the house at 1362 Pine St. more, as well. With our two year old son and a one year old daughter sharing the same bedroom, Don and I knew that we would need to look for a larger house before very long. So when Tom and Kristi gave their notice, we approached Sarah and Larry about renting the house to us. Moving into the charming three bedroom house right next door, which already held fond memories for me, was very appealing1 After some consideration, they agreed and we made plans to move in.