In 10 years, we moved 8 times.  Not surprisingly, our kids  expressed a desire to have a permanent home.  They started to become attached to the places we lived and wanted it to be where they could stay for awhile.  They also wanted to make their home theirs.  They wanted to plant flowers and dig up the yard and other “destructive” things, but we always had to say no.  We wanted them to settle in wherever we lived, but we also didn’t want them to become too attached to a rental home.  Our oldest daughter started making a list of what she would have when she grew up and had her own place.  She made statements like, “When I grow up, I am going to have 30 cats!” and, “When I grow up, I am going to have 10 horses!”  She also started talking about flowers and trees that she loved and wanted when she grew up.  She and I have a love and admiration for Dogwood trees.  Every spring we look for them when we drive around and point them out to each other.  A couple of years ago, she and I decided that someday we would have a house and we would plant a white dogwood tree and a pink dogwood tree in front of it.  We would talk about it every once in awhile, especially when we saw all the pretty blooms in the spring, but it always seemed like a far distant dream.

Our Beautiful Dogwood

 And then God provided us with a house and land very quickly and unexpectedly! This was in November, so we had no idea what trees and plants were on our acre of land. As soon as some of the trees in our area started to bloom in the Spring, our daughter started talking about planting our Dogwood trees.  I was excited about it too, because it no longer seemed like a distant dream.  However, we had other things to plant on our priority list that trumped Dogwood trees.  When we moved here, I noticed a pretty little tree off to the side in front of our house.  Through the winter, I often wondered what it was. And then it bloomed!  It was a white Dogwood tree!!! We were so excited! What a confirmation that this is the home that God prepared for us! Now we just have to plant our pink Dogwood tree!