Sometimes our dreams start small. If we have been accustomed to believing that we are only worthy of just barely scraping by, then our dreams must start small if they are to start at all. For most of my life, whenever I envisioned having a place of my own, I always pictured a small studio somewhere, with just barely enough room for my things. I was always certain that I could pay my own way, but only if that way were meager. I never dreamed that I would ever own a real house, even though a house is what I've always wanted.
For ten years, I lived in a small one-bedroom condo that I bought with the money my father left me when he died. When I bought that condo, what I really wanted was a house; but I didn't feel worthy of owning a whole house, so I settled. Unfortunately, that condo recently became a casualty of what is now euphemistically known as "This Economy," and for the past year I have been staying in my boyfriend's house, with all of my stuff in storage. Although I will always be grateful to Keith for giving me a safe place to stay, rent-free, while I got back on my feet, I've really missed having my own home. And although he has been happy to be able to help me in a very significant way by graciously providing me with shelter, we are both people who have a strong need to be alone in our own space.
When I first started looking for my new digs, I pictured a cheap little efficiency in what would hopefully be a safe part of town. It would be hard to leave this tropical paradise home and move into a little room, but, as has always been my pattern, I assumed it was all I could afford. Then I remembered that there are thousands of bank-owned properties out there right now. Wouldn't it be nice if I could get a whole house for the same price as a tiny little studio rental?
That's how I found my dream home, a two-bedroom house on a secluded flag lot, just one street over from where I'm staying now. Turns out it's the same house my friends Chuck and Rosemary rented for years, before they moved to Live Oak to buy their own dream house. I used to spend a lot of time there, soaking up the love. Chuck screened in the carport to make a huge porch where we would sit and play guitars and sing until late into the night. We even recorded a CD out on that porch one afternoon, the weekend I sang a couple of gigs with Burning Desire. Rosemary hung hammocks and wind chimes on the porch, and Chuck grew plants out there. The paddle fans kept the breeze blowing, and it was a magical place to be.
I left early for work one morning so I could drive by several nearby homes that were for sale in my price range. When I realized that one of the homes on my list was this particular house that I knew so well, I became very excited. As I stood out in the yard in the early morning, I could still feel Chuck and Rosemary's energy there. They filled that home with love. Chuck grew things, and Rosemary made it pretty with fabrics and wind chimes. We drank herbal teas together there, and learned tai chi in that house. Although several years have passed, all of that love has remained there and become a part of the house. As I stood there, I could feel the soul of the house; and I knew that it would be my home.
Even with no credit and no cash, I am certain that I will live in this house ... even if I start out as a renter there. Over the past week, three different people have tried to buy that house for me. Each time, the deal fell through. Basically, because it is a bank-owned house, the bank wants cash money. Although the people who tried to buy the house for me had excellent credit and a hefty balance sheet, they did not have enough liquid cash to purchase the property.
Why would someone want to buy a house for me? Because they were grateful to me for how I had helped them in the past, and wanted to demonstrate their gratitude in a meaningful way. I did not ask them to buy me a house; when they saw how excited I was about it, they offered to help with no hesitation. I was moved to tears by their generosity, even though they were ultimately unable to help.
The Law of Attraction says that what you attract into your life is a direct vibrational match with what you put out there. For the past couple of years I have focused most of my attention on learning to keep an attitude of gratitude. My personal gratitude practice led to The Attitude of Gratitude Project, an online gratitude journal designed to help me and a handful of friends remain grateful in a challenging world. Today over 6,000 people from all over the planet check in every day to encourage each other by saying what they are grateful for each day. Gratitude is a powerful force; because I am its faithful servant, it is no surprise to me that the force of gratitude would work toward making my dreams of a home come true.
I posted this affirmation on Facebook the other day:
"I am joyfully and gratefully holding the vision of myself living in my beautiful new home. It has a huge kitchen with lots of storage, beautiful wood floors, a purple reiki room, and a huge screened in porch. It is nestled in a secluded garden filled with fairies and mango trees. I am happy there, surrounded by love. I hear laughter and singing among the wind chimes."
My friend Andrea de Michaelis from Horizon's Magazine was so taken by the story of my house that she created a webpage so that people would have a chance to share in my vision by donating money toward its purchase price. Her magazine is publishing my Prosperity Project series as a monthly column, and Andrea believes that this house is manifesting as a direct result of that Project. Most of the imaginary money that I envisioned during the Prosperity Project was spent fulfilling my desire for a sacred space of my own where I could write and play music. According to Andrea, it is possible that the Universe (or God, if you prefer) wants so much for me to have this house that He is willing to send me the cash I need to buy it. To that end, Andrea set up a Donation button and is soliciting her readers and our collective Facebook friends for donations. Within hours of putting up the site, I already had received several hundred dollars in donations from well-wishers and friends who are holding this vision with me. Andrea's recent blog post invited the readers of Horizon's Magazine to participate in the manifestation of this dream.
Meanwhile, I am scraping together all the cash I can gather, and have begun a program of saving 50% of every dollar that I earn. Friends from all over the world are responding with donations of $3, $50, $100, $500, even $1000. Everyone is pitching in what they can afford to give. The response is overwhelming, and fills my heart with gratitude. It reminds me of the time I had a chance to sing at Carnegie Hall under the direction of John Rutter. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; the only catch was that I had to pay my own way. The cost of the event was more than I could save on my own in such a short period of time; but it occurred to me that if I found 60 people to donate $25 each, I would have enough money to go on the tour. I raised the money in ten days. Not only did I sing the most amazing concert of my life, I was able to share the event with 60 people who loved me and believed in me enough to help sponsor a dream.
I don't know how, and I don't know when, but I do know without a shadow of any doubt that this house will one day be my home. When you come by, I'll make you tea and we'll drink it on the porch under the wind chimes.
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