DO YOU GIVE BACK WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN?

FINALLY,  the papers have been signed and I am now the proud owner of my second craftsman bungalow circa 1917.  HOPEFULLY--until they drag me to the nursing home or the funeral home--I am DONE moving!  Although, I am something of an expert in the process--it has REALLY gotten old!  The signing on my end went smoothly---I am organized--to a fault--if nothing else.  The signing on the other end--NOT SO SMOOTHLY.  

The previous owners had already left town and were signing their part remotely--NO PROBLEM.  The problem was----they had my funds---they had my signature---I had NO keys.  The realtor representing the former owner had dropped the ball and there were NO keys at the closing AND no representative for them.  NOW--I have done this enough that your bodily presence is not required, BUT what is required are the keys to MY house.  

I have the beginning of a line of contractors showing up the next morning bright and early and I have no way to get into the house.  My sweet realtor, God love her, had a solution, BUT, sadly, the longer I stewed on this---the more irked I became.  It was CERTAINLY no fault of my realtor, but she got to hear my displeasure.  Remember us talking about deferred anger--THIS is a classic case.  BUT, shame on me, she got to hear all about what I thought of her fellow realtor.  It was NOT pretty.

Problem was solved by my realtor---but I then began to feel the shame of how I had acted.  For someone who has had a WHOLE LOT OF GRACE heaped upon their head, I was NOT really extending much grace--in fact was extending a lot of angst.  I had not considered perhaps the realtor had a personal conflict for the day, perhaps she forgot I needed keys, perhaps she thought the owner had conveyed the keys to someone---there are many possibilities of things which could have happened.  I did not give any benefit of doubt--but instead jumped on her case without hesitation.  I am sorry---I have apologized to my realtor--for she was the one who got to hear all about it.  AND--in the grand scheme of things---small potatoes for me on not having the keys.  SO NOW--I am off to meet the attic guy--to talk about insulation.  Hopefully I can have a kinder--gentler forbearance in all my negotiations with the crews to come.  In the meantime--I volunteer to be your example of how NOT to respond or react when things are not lining up exactly the way you planned.  I CAN DO BETTER!  When grace has been given, we are charged to extend grace to others.

"If one has a complaint against another,

forgiving each other;

as the Lord has forgiven you,

so you also must forgive."

Colossians 3:13