OUR MIRACLE

Cathy and I wish to share a new chapter in our lives! It all began on May 15, 2002 when we travelled to New Hampshire and Vermont for an anniversary celebration. We hadn't taken a day off since February and needed this short trip to rejuvenate. What happened next is truly a miracle!

We visited our favorite bookstores and antique shops and ended up in the most idyllic town called Grafton in southeastern Vermont. The following day we ran into fellow booksellers at our favorite antique mall. As Cathy was sharing our frustration with the time commitment to an open shop, our friends shared some startling news -- the husband is suffering from a serious illness. Their ten-year-plan was identical to ours but this illness has brought about new challenges and a new plan. They reminded us that life is too short and if we would enjoy a slower pace in a less populated area, what could be better than Vermont???

We left the area with a new perspective and a new plan. We would return home, complete all of our unfinished house projects, and contact a realtor in Connecticut. At the same time we would research the areas of southeastern Vermont and southwestern New Hampshire to find a new location for our home and internet business.

We met with our Connecticut realtors at 3:00 p.m. on May 28, 2002. They made it quite clear that the average selling time for housing in our area is 12-18 months! The news was discouraging but we explained that we were leaving the next morning to look at properties in lower New Hampshire. They advised us not to buy anything but to focus on the location where we would want to live. I had already determined that the perfect area might be Walpole, New Hampshire. I had never been to Walpole but based on its' notoriety in books as the quintessential New England Village and its' location, central to all of New England, it might be the perfect area for our new home.

Cathy and I spent the first day looking at properties on our own. Cathy was discouraged initially until she saw a stately home on the Common in Walpole proper. It had a For Sale sign in the front yard, but for whatever reason it was not on our list of properties to visit. We were mesmerised by the village green! It consisted of nine pristine homes, three Churches, and a Town Hall. The house at 44 Elm just captured our hearts -- it was truly something to write home about!

We met with our New Hampshire realtor that same afternoon and would travel with her the following day. She added the Walpole home to our list of properties. For whatever reason we just couldn't stop thinking about the house on the green, it kept us awake most of the night. We hadn't considered life on a green. Actually, we were looking for a remote area with acreage and views. On May 30th we travelled throughout Cheshire County. House after house had possibilities but either the location was right but the house was wrong or the other way around. No home was perfect until we arrived at 44 Elm in Walpole. It is an 1806 Georgian Colonial fully renovated. The owners raised four children in the home over 32 years and have decided to downsize. The house is next to the Catholic Church, across the street is the Congregational Church, and two doors down is the Episcopal Church. Church bells could replace the sound of our waterfall! Every Sunday in the summer there are concerts on the green, Walpole is minutes from Vermont, a short drive to the White Mountains, and even relatively close to Maine and Montreal. It is just so accessible!

We left town with the intention of bidding on the house, Friday, May 31st. We arrived home late and I checked my emails and phone messages. I had ten messages on my answering machine. As I was walking away there just happened to be an eleventh message! It was from our realtor in Connecticut -- he had a couple who wanted to see our house Friday morning. We stayed up until 2:00 a.m. cleaning and I woke up early to start the yard work at 6:00 a.m. The couple loved our home and we had an offer that afternoon! We hadn't even had time to contact the New Hampshire realtor to pursue the bid on the Walpole home. We started that process Friday evening and by 11:00 p.m. we realized our dream! We will expedite our ten-year-plan and will enjoy a slower pace of life in a less populated area running our internet business!

We closed the shop in New Preston in July, 2002, and began packing and moving the house, shop and warehouse. By mid-October 2002 we were living in New Hampshire full time.  Remember life is too short, we learned from our friends, and do not regret this change.  Thank you for reading "our miracle" story, yours, RAY