I’d like to share a secret.  It’s one of those “I shouldn’t utter this out loud … people would think I’m weird.” type of secrets.

In 1999, as a single woman, I purchased a home.  It was not in an ideal location.  It was not the best I could do.  The deal was a bit terrifying to crunch the numbers on.  People questioned my decision-making capabilities.  It only had 1 bathroom.  It had no street parking.  It was at the top of a hill.  And it was OLD!  It needed a lot of TLC.

And it was perfect for me.

As I got used to the new location I eventually figured out how to keep the house cool on a hot day, which room was my favorite to hang out in for an early morning read, why I loved the huge eat-in kitchen so much, when to crack a window so that the house would be filled with the scent of orange blossoms from the neighbors’ tree, and which projects I wanted to do first.  Being a “planner” and knowing that my poor old house, with little insulation in the walls, and only wall units for air conditioning wouldn’t sell very well during the Summer/Fall… in Southern California it’s usually rather hot during those times of year.  I knew enough about peak selling times to know that late Spring / early Summer was the best time to sell a house.

And one day I had a thought… the absolute BEST time to sell this house is when the neighbor’s orange tree is blossoming!  With all of these citrus trees around So Cal it smells heavenly during blossom time!  And I knew… as in beyond a shadow of a doubt, I knew:

One of these years this house is going to sell.  And it’s going to happen in the late Winter/early Spring and the orange blossoms are going to be in bloom.

 

Fast forward to February 2015.  We were contacted by a realtor who had a buyer looking for a home in the Old Escondido Historic District.  The realtor wanted to know if we’d be interested.  No.  Our house wasn’t for sale!  They asked us if we were sure and explained that these buyers were very motivated and had been very patient but were starting to get anxious.

I thought about it and prayed about it and let the realtor know that I’d talk to my husband about it and get back with them.

So we talked, laughed about it (to be truthful), prayed … and then contacted the Realtor to say “Sure – why not?!”  We explained – “Listen, we’re not really ready to sell.  But if the price is right and it can be an ‘as is’ deal then we might be open to this.”  We cleaned frantically for 4 days and got the house ready for them to come through on a Saturday.  On Saturday morning I opened the door to sweep off the front steps… and the scent of orange blossoms arose on the breeze.

I do not lie.

I had not noticed the orange blossoms during the week as we had been working in the back yard or while the windows were open and we were airing out the house.  I had not noticed that my favorite scent of all time was lingering in the air… until Saturday morning when I opened the front door.

It stopped me in my tracks.  I looked to the backyard and knew our house was going to sell.

I knew it.  Beyond a shadow of a doubt.

 

I had NEVER told a single soul the realization from years prior under what conditions I knew my house was going to sell… and so to tell people now (even in the moment) seems illogical.  But, that’s exactly how it happened.  I cannot explain this knowledge.  But here’s the thing… I knew it deep in my soul, and that’s exactly how it came to be.

God speaks to me this way.  I don’t hear an audible voice.  He doesn’t write on a wall or send me a divine messenger.  But He does put a secret in my heart and He winks at me in that moment when life is breathed into those secrets… like the scent of orange blossoms being carried on the breeze.  He carries my dreams onward and upward and gives me yet another reason to trust Him with the deepest secrets in my heart.

And each time He does this, and I have story after story I could share, it’s more confirmation that He wants to wink at us and show us His love in a special way that touches each of our hearts.

Are you listening for that voice?  Are you watching for those God winks?  Do you have “orange blossom” moments?  I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

 

And for the rest of the story… we put together an asking price, and the buyers offered MORE than the asking price for our home.  The house sold in the Spring of 2015 and we’re on to the next secret.