{"id":143,"date":"2007-12-01T07:07:16","date_gmt":"2007-12-01T07:07:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/conversationswithgod\/2007\/12\/a-miracle-gets-the-house.html"},"modified":"2007-12-01T07:07:16","modified_gmt":"2007-12-01T07:07:16","slug":"a-miracle-gets-the-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/2007\/12\/a-miracle-gets-the-house.html","title":{"rendered":"A Miracle Gets the House"},"content":{"rendered":"

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = <\/strong>
\nNOTE: Saturday is Prose & Poetry Day here on the blog, a time to take a moment once a week to relax the mind, open the heart, and access the soul through the gift of prose from one of the many books of The New Spirituality, and through the poetry of m. Claire, author of the forthcoming volume, Openings.<\/em>
\nThis week’s prose…another excerpt from Moments of Grace<\/em>…
\n= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
\nBILL TUCKER LEARNED THE LESSON OF FAITH THIRTY YEARS AGO, a lesson he has never forgotten. He has called upon it many times to remind himself that nothing is impossible. Only one thing is required. Belief.
\nIn those days Bill had never sold a house, although he had an agent\u2019s license and managed a real estate office. He would often stay late in the evenings to be available to the agents coming in from their evening showings. It was his responsibility to review the Offers to Purchase, and he didn\u2019t want to hold up any deals\u2014or lose any–by not being available on the spot.
\nTen o\u2019clock, however, was late enough for any office to be open, he decided one night as he glanced at his watch and yawned. I\u2019m heading home, he told himself. I\u2019m calling it a night. But then he heard voices coming from the front of the office. I must have forgotten to lock the door, he told himself as he rose to investigate.
\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d he apologized to the young couple he found standing at the counter, \u201cthe office is closed.\u201d They were a diminutive pair\u2014she barely five-feet tall and he only slightly higher. Two small children hovered shyly behind them.
\n\u201cWell, the lights are on,\u201d the small woman observed. And you\u2019re here, aren\u2019t you?\u201d she added sweetly.
\n\u201cYes,\u201d Bill answered, \u201cBut, you see, I\u2019m the manager, not an agent. I\u2019m just waiting for the agents to return so that I can close up for the night.\u201d
\n\u201cWe\u2019re the Johnsons\u2026Ted and Amy. We need to buy a home tonight, so you will have to help us,\u201d she insisted.
\n\u201cWhy tonight, Mrs. Johnson?\u201d Bill asked.
\nShe took a breath. \u201cBecause we have to move in tomorrow.\u201d
\nIt was all Bill could do to stop from rolling his eyes.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s impossible, madam,\u201d he smiled patiently. \u201cFirst of all, even if you were to find a house you like at this time of night, we would have to submit an offer to the owner. Then we\u2019d have to wait for a possible counter-offer. After that, you have to apply to the bank for a mortgage. The house has to be appraised, and the bank must qualify you. There is absolutely no way you can move into a house in less than six weeks.\u201d
\nThere, that should explain it adequately enough, he thought. People never failed to amaze Bill. He chuckled inwardly. Did she actually think she could march in here at ten o\u2019clock at night and get anywhere with this ridiculous notion?
\nHe opened his mouth to suggest that perhaps she should come back tomorrow so that he could introduce her to an agent who might be able to help her, but Mrs. Johnson apparently had other ideas.
\n\u201cOh, it won\u2019t be any problem at all. We\u2019ll be able to buy a house tonight,\u201d she said.
\nOkay, Bill thought. Maybe they have the cash for a house. That, of course, would certainly expedite the process. \u201cOh? Why is that?\u201d he asked politely in response.
\n\u201cBecause I asked God to give us a home by morning, and He never lets me down.\u201d
\n\u201cI see. Well, even if I had an agent available, it\u2019s way too late tonight to look at anything.\u201d
\nShe didn\u2019t seem to get his point. \u201cYou are licensed, aren\u2019t you?\u201d she persisted.
\nBill answered that he was. \u201cBut I\u2019ve never sold a home and am not expert enough at this for you to trust.\u201d
\n\u201cYou believe in God, don\u2019t you?\u201d
\nBill smiled indulgently. \u201cSure. On that issue there\u2019s no question. But\u2026\u201d
\nShe interrupted, \u201cDo you believe in miracles?\u201d
\n\u201cWell\u2026yes.\u201d Bill has, in fact, experienced many of what he considered to be amazing occurrences in his life.
\nMrs. Johnson drew herself up, stuck out her chest, and said, \u201cLook. I prayed today and asked God to give me a home\u2026um, could we just sit down?\u201d Bill nodded, pointing to a couple of seats in front on an agent\u2019s desk. He sat in the chair behind it. \u201cI asked God,\u201d the woman went on, \u201cto give us a home that we could move into by morning.\u201d
\nBill\u2019s eyebrows shot up.
\n\u201cWe have nowhere to live,\u201d Mrs. Johnson said simply.
\n\u201cWe thought we\u2019d bought a house on contract from a little old lady here in the city that agreed to finance it for us. We\u2019re from about 200 miles north, but my husband just found a job here, so we packed up and moved. When we arrived, the lady wasn\u2019t out yet\u2026and when we asked her when she would be leaving, she said she wasn\u2019t going to be leaving. She thought she was making a deal with us to live with her. So, she\u2019s put us up in her basement.\u201d
\nBill whistled softly, shaking his head. \u201cThat\u2019s a very strange tale,\u201d he offered. In his 20 years in business he\u2019d heard lots of horror stories, and this one qualified for a place near the top of the list.
\nMrs. Johnson continued, \u201cOf course, we can\u2019t live in this lady\u2019s basement. We have our children here. We\u2019ve been washing daily at the gas station restroom down the street. Tonight I asked God for a miracle because we can\u2019t go on like this. So we\u2019ve been driving around looking for an open real estate office. And here you are!\u201d
\nThrough the front window Bill could see the couple\u2019s old, beat-up car in the parking lot. \u201cHow much money do you have for a down-payment?\u201d He almost didn\u2019t want to hear the answer.
\n\u201cOh, we don\u2019t have any money at all. Ted has been unable to work for the past ten years. You see, he\u2019s a recovering alcoholic and we\u2019re getting a new start, but it\u2019s not easy. I\u2019ve been working part-time as a waitress.\u201d
\nThis situation is getting worse, Bill thought. How in the world do they think they can buy a home with no money?
\n\u201cYou\u2019ve been supporting your family on a waitress\u2019 salary? Why were you only working part-time?\u201d Bill wondered aloud.
\n\u201cI had to,\u201d Mrs. Johnson explained, \u201cin order to volunteer at my church. That\u2019s important to me. But we get by\u2026that\u2019s not the problem. The problem is, we have nowhere to live. And you know, we\u2019re not picky. We\u2019ll take the least expensive house we can find.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy not just find some place to rent?\u201d Bill suggested. \u201cGet back on your feet, pull some money together and save for a place.\u201d
\n\u201cWe\u2019ve been renting for years,\u201d the woman dismissed. \u201cIt\u2019s time we had a place of our own. And we can, with God\u2019s help. Look how he brought us to you!\u201d
\nYeah, well, good luck, lady, Bill thought. At the same time, he was intrigued by the strong faith this woman was exhibiting. And, he mused, who was he to interfere with her miracle? He took out his multiple listings book. Might as well at least see what there is to see, he told himself with an inward sigh…<\/p>\n


\n\u201cWell, here\u2019s one for $54,000. It\u2019s not in the nicest part of town, but it\u2019s a pretty low price. How much will your husband be making in his new job?\u201d
\nMr. Johnson had been quiet up to this point, but now he spoke up.
\n\u201cI\u2019m darned lucky to have a job at all. I\u2019m starting as a janitor tomorrow, making six bucks hour.\u201d
\nBill looked askance at both of them. \u201cThat\u2019s not much,\u201d he observed. Getting out his calculator, he punched in a few numbers. \u201cLess than $12,500 a year.\u201d
\nThe man nodded.
\nBill said, \u201cThe most you can afford on that salary is a $36,000 house. There just aren\u2019t any houses in that price range. And even if there were, the bank is going to require a down payment. All this is very unlikely, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson.\u201d
\n\u201cBut, you said you believed in miracles,\u201d Mrs. Johnson said quietly.
\n\u201cYes,\u201d Bill smiled meekly, \u201cbut I didn\u2019t say I could perform them.\u201d
\nThe couple only stared at him. Okay, he thought. I\u2019ll just have to prove how impossible this is going to be. He picked up the phone and dialed the realtor listing the house he\u2019d just talked about. \u201cWe\u2019ll make an offer,\u201d he said, but he already knew what the outcome would be.
\nThe realtor was delighted with the call at first. Bill saw from the listings book that the house had been on the market for over a year, so he expected this reaction. But when the realtor heard that the offer was $36,000, Bill got the second reaction he\u2019d expected. She became indignant. Bill had to insist that she convey the offer to the owner, reminding her of the law stating that all bona fide offers must be presented.
\nA few moments later, the realtor called back. \u201cThe owner has a counter-offer,\u201d she said, less annoyed now that at least some kind of deal seemed possible. \u201cIt\u2019s a God one. $45,000. I think you should take it.\u201d
\n\u201cThank you,\u201d Bill replied sincerely. \u201cBut let me explain the situation here. My clients have no money put aside, and they earn no money to speak of. They\u2019ll be lucky to find a bank that will loan them the 36-thousand, much less 45.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m sure my owner won\u2019t accept that,\u201d the woman realtor said matter-of-factly.
\nBill replied, \u201cYou don\u2019t have the right to make that assessment. You\u2019re required to present our counter counter-offer.\u201c He was starting to get into the spirit of the negotiation. This might be an interesting exercise, after all.
\nThe realtor rang back in five minutes. \u201cI\u2019ve made the offer and the owners are willing to have me show the house. We think that when the buyers see it, they\u2019ll want to meet our price.\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t think they can,\u201d Bill told her again.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve seen stranger things happen,\u201d the selling realtor said. \u201cLet\u2019s show the house.\u201d
\n\u201cOkaaay,\u201d Bill agreed, and said goodbye. He told the Johnsons what was up. They just sat there, smiling. Bill could hardly believe they\u2019d gotten this far. Of course, in the morning they would all understand the futility of this exercise, but that was part of the real estate business. They were nice people, and he was willing to go through the process with them until they got the picture.
\nThe next morning as Bill drove to the house, he was unhappily imagining what it would most probably look like. It was, after all, the cheapest house on the market, and in the very worst part of town. The street was full of potholes. Abandoned cars and unkempt lawns were everywhere. Bill sighed as he pulled up to a modest front gate.
\nThe selling realtor was waiting for him, the Johnsons standing with her, looking hopeful. He dreaded how sad they were going to be. Bill was glad his job didn\u2019t usually entail selling houses and having to sometimes be the instrument of peoples\u2019 disappointment.
\nAs the realtor swung open the gate, Bill caught his breath. The little house was lovely! Mr. and Mrs. Johnson smiled broadly. It was an adorable red and white Cape Cod, complete with dormers and shutters on all the windows. When they entered through the front door, Bill noted new carpet and linoleum. All the woodwork had been stripped and stained, there were new appliances and brand new cabinetry in the tiny kitchen. The house was immaculate and fully decorated with new furniture, which would be going with this house, in all the rooms. It was a jewel!
\n\u201cWe\u2019ll take it!\u201d Mrs. Johnson blurted happily.
\n\u201cGreat. Let\u2019s drive over to the owner\u2019s home and conclude the negotiations,\u201d the realtor beamed.
\nThe little party caravanned its way out of the slum-like neighborhood into a lovely suburb, pulling up before a spacious ranch. The troupe was met at the front door by a bear of a man dressed in overalls. \u201cGood day to you. I\u2019m Jerry Rockwell,\u201d he greeted them warmly, and led them into a cheery kitchen where his wife was pouring coffee for everyone.
\nWhen they were settled in chairs, Mr. Rockwell looked Mr. Johnson square in the eye. \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter with you, mister? Why aren\u2019t you willing to provide at least the minimum basic house for your family at a reasonable price?\u201d
\n\u201cWell, sir, \u201c started Mr. Johnson, looking down at his cup, \u201cI am willing. My realtor here says I just can\u2019t afford any more.\u201d He was having difficulty with Rockwell\u2019s confrontive approach. \u201cYou see,\u201d he went on, \u201cI am a recovering alcoholic. I\u2019ve been unemployed for the last ten years. But I\u2019m sober now, and I just got a new job over at the Harnischfeger Plant.\u201d
\nMr. Rockwell looked surprised. \u201cHarnischfeger! Who hired you over there?\u201d
\n\u201cA nice fella by the name of Rogers. Charley Rogers.\u201d
\nRockwell stood up and extended his hand. \u201cYou can have the house for $36,000!\u201d
\nBill almost choked on his coffee. \u201cExcuse me,\u201d he interrupted as soon as he caught his breath. \u201cWe\u2019re not even sure we can find a bank to give them a loan.\u201d
\n\u201cNo problem,\u201d came the answer, \u201cI\u2019ll finance it myself.\u201d
\n\u201cMr. Rockwell,\u201d Bill continued, \u201cthis buyer hasn\u2019t even been qualified.\u201d
\n\u201cJust who are you representing, Mr. Tucker?\u201d the owner of the house now asked. Then his voice softened. \u201cLook, I just retired from Harnischfeger\u2019s maintenance department after 36 years. Charley Rogers came to me fifteen years ago, a reformed alcoholic. I took a chance on him, and he worked out just fine. If this man\u2019s good enough for Charley, he\u2019s good enough for me. I am giving him the house for his price right here and now!\u201d
\nNow the two realtors looked at each other in disbelief. Second cups of coffee were offered all around, and Rockwell began telling the story of the house that was soon to belong to Mr. and Mrs. Johnson \u2014 a house, it turned out, that was very dear to his heart.
\nHis father had built the home, and George Rockwell lived his entire life there, marrying and eventually raising his own family in the dwelling. He\u2019d done all the remodeling work himself. His wife had picked out the carpet and the new furniture. The only reason he and Mrs. Rockwell felt compelled to finally move was that they wanted to invest their money in something a little more substantial since their son, who suffered from Down\u2019s syndrome, would have on-going financial needs.
\nThe Johnson’s were glowing now, and as the morning sun poured through the windows, Bill felt a little tear squeeze from the corner of his eye even as he noticed the selling realtor dabbing at her mascara.
\n\u201cCan we move in today?\u201d Amy Johnson inquired hopefully.
\nRockwell reached into the pocket of his overalls and pulled out a set of keys. \u201cBe my guest!\u201d he grinned, and put them in Mrs. Johnson\u2019s hand.
\nShe looked over at Bill and winked. He winked back. So this is what selling homes \u2014 and what life \u2014 is about, he thought. Just one miracle after another.
\n= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
\nThis week’s gift of poetry<\/em>
\n= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =<\/p>\n

It\u2019s as if we lost a child
\neven as we held it,
\nrocking it
\nclothed & warm.
\nAnd now we hold
\na Grief between us.
\nIt wails; it goes quiet.
\nWe tiptoe through
\nthe rooms
\nafraid
\nthat it is either
\nawake
\nor
\nsleeping again,
\nnot knowing
\nwhich is worse.
\nThe first \u2013
\nthe one we lost,
\nwas named Innocence.
\nThe second \u2013
\nthe one we try to love –
\nShame.
\nBut God trusts us with every child\u2026
\n(Every Child – m. claire – copyright 2007 – all rights reserved) <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For more of the work of this new American poet, go to www.mclairepoet.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = NOTE: Saturday is Prose & Poetry Day here on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-life-and-the-new-spirituality"],"yoast_head":"\nA Miracle Gets the House - Conversations with God<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Miracle Gets the House - Conversations with God\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = NOTE: Saturday is Prose & Poetry Day here on…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/2007\/12\/a-miracle-gets-the-house.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Conversations with God\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2007-12-01T07:07:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Neale Donald Walsch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A Miracle Gets the House - Conversations with God","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"nofollow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A Miracle Gets the House - Conversations with God","og_description":"= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = NOTE: Saturday is Prose & Poetry Day here on…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/2007\/12\/a-miracle-gets-the-house.html","og_site_name":"Conversations with God","article_published_time":"2007-12-01T07:07:16+00:00","author":"Neale Donald Walsch","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/2007\/12\/a-miracle-gets-the-house.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/2007\/12\/a-miracle-gets-the-house.html","name":"A Miracle Gets the House - Conversations with God","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/#website"},"datePublished":"2007-12-01T07:07:16+00:00","dateModified":"2007-12-01T07:07:16+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/#\/schema\/person\/59dec2a2c0645950921b5cb7864ffc64"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/2007\/12\/a-miracle-gets-the-house.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/2007\/12\/a-miracle-gets-the-house.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/2007\/12\/a-miracle-gets-the-house.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A Miracle Gets the House"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/","name":"Conversations with God","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/#\/schema\/person\/59dec2a2c0645950921b5cb7864ffc64","name":"Neale Donald Walsch","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/27b\/27bce5d8beddfd11309a88e8e70a1ef3x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/27b\/27bce5d8beddfd11309a88e8e70a1ef3x96.jpg","caption":"Neale Donald Walsch"},"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/author\/ndwalsch"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/112"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/conversationswithgod\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}