Letting Go

Most people close to us already know that we let the townhouse foreclose. On February 3, it was up for auction, with thousands of other houses in the metro Atlanta area. It didn’t sell, so the mortgage company owns it now.

Honestly, it was such a relief when I found out. I received the letter from the attorney’s office a few weeks prior, telling me when it was going to auction, so I knew it was coming. Well, the day of, I got an inquiry about it (talk about being a day late and a dollar short!). So the next day (Feb 4), I called to find out what the outcome was, just so I would know what to tell the person. The attorney told me to call the mortgage company; he implied that they might be able to do something, if we had someone who was truly interested. So I called the mortgage company, and it took forever for the lady to tell me that it was no longer mine. It was actually pretty funny, because it was obvious that she felt bad having to tell me, so I assured her that we didn’t live there. She sounded shocked that I was in such a good mood at the end of the conversation (I’m 100% sure most of those don’t go as well).

When I hung up, I was so relieved. I came home and opened a bottle of champagne! Of course, it’s not the ideal outcome, but the burden was just tremendous! And it’s been almost 2 years since we moved out of there – so many months of paying 2 mortgages and chasing tenants for the rent! I used to think that it would be the end of the world for this to happen, but I will survive this just like anything else. Of course, my credit is in the toilet now, but it could always be worse. And I’m definitely not happy about all of the money/work we put into it, trying to fix it up to be rented again, but there was a reason for it. I was ready to let it go in October, after we evicted our last sorry tenant, but we gave it another try. Oh well. What’s done is done.

I have to admit that I did get a little sentimental when I went to remove the listing for it. I saw the pictures, and couldn’t help but think about the fact that this was my first major purchase after college, and that Lee and I had our first memories as a married couple in that house. BUT this was the way it was supposed to be, obviously. And really. I’m young enough to “recover” from this (in terms of credit). People older than me have done it. Dave Ramsey did it! So did Donald Trump. It’s not the end of the world. I know some people definitely looked at me sideways when I told them that we had just stopped paying a few months ago, but you do what you have to do. It didn’t make sense to struggle to pay for a house we didn’t even live in…that no one was living in!

I have grown tremendously! I fully expected to be a puddle in the floor after having something like this happen, but I never shed a tear. I know that EVERYTHING happens for a reason, “and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

This has been my favorite verse for years:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trails of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:1-3