So it’s been about 3 months since I started writing here. My goal was to share how we were living our lives with intention – and sometimes how we mess up in our efforts. My work has gotten busier and consequently my ability (or is it willingness?) to be intentional can sometimes go by the wayside. We eat out more and I cook less. I am finding that my time with the family goes down a bit. But as I am able to marry the two together (work and family) I do. I do not really broadcast this, but I help people buy and sell homes. I think you need to know that about me for this post. Actually it’s going to be hard to miss it since the subject of my post is this group of amazing people with whom I worked recently. As I am able my kids sometimes accompany to see homes with clients. Only certain clients. Only at certain times, too. But it’s fun to take them sometimes (I have plenty of stories of how un-fun it’s been but I will spare my audience from those horrific stories).

Last week I helped this amazing couple buy a home (pictured above to the far right). We had been working together for almost a year and so we got to know each other pretty well. So well, in fact, that my kids and their kids were on a first name basis. This would be me: “Hey Lily, wanna go see a house with Emma and Elliott?” Her” “Oh yeah! Can I bring some toys to share too?”

First, I have to say that for our pre-settlement walk through (it’s where you walk through the home one last time to make sure everything is how it ought to be before you dish out the most money in your lifetime to buy the home), we found a raccoon in the chimney. Oh yes, you heard me. No, it wasn’t dead, it was very much alive. Kind of a bummer of a thing to realize the night before the big day. But I have to say that the other agent (in above photo she’s to the far left) and the seller (second from the left) got it all worked out. Raccoon was successfully chased out of the chimney by a “critter guy” (he was not killed, just so you know) and a cap was successfully placed over the chimney opening to prevent him/her from returning. [As an aside, that night when I got home I looked up on You Tube and saw that lots of people have had raccoon adventures in their chimneys]. The seller did not have much time to work with but, boy, she got on that and took care of the issue. We were amazed.

Not only that, but this woman was very intentional about this home. It was a Tudor style home and had been in the family since it was built. After all the papers were signed she asks the buyers, “So, what do you want to know about the home?” And they started talking. Then she says she has a book for them. I’m imagining a file folder with some papers in it. And then I would be wrong. This woman labored over a comprehensive and detailed book (one of those 4″ binders) with anything and everything that was ever done to this home over the years. It had recently received some major facelifts. She had typed tabs separating out each contractors that was used, their contact information and the invoices for the work. She had specifics about the trash and recycling. She had information about the landscaping companies used. She went page-by-page through the tabs with my clients as all they could mutter was, “Wow…”

I thought we were done. I was wrong.

She then pulls out a gift bag.

And then I learn (yes, I’m slow and probably should have already known about this old tradition) about this fantastic tradition about giving a new homeowner bread, salt and wine when they move into a new home.

Here‘s a Yahoo answer link that gives more of the background for you, but here’s the saying:

“Bread – that this house may never know hunger.

“Salt – that life here may always have flavor.

“And wine – that there will always be joy.”

We ended our time by taking a group photo. As everyone was leaving the seller hugged the buyers. We all noticed tears welling in her eyes as she walked away.

Talk about intentional. She owned it that day. She knew she wanted to hand this home over to a new family to make new memories. I hope to be like this in how I approach everything.

Last night my measly effort at intentionalism (made up word?) was to write some thank you cards to some people who have been extra kind to our family recently. It’s not much but it’s something.

How have you been the recipient of someone’s intentional kindness recently?