Little Stone Building

In my last post, I shared with you my thoughts and emotions at leaving the job I had held for nearly three decades. Let me go back and begin to explain how we got to this place.

I loved my job and the people I worked with, but for years had felt a tugging on my heart to do something else. I thought it might be massage therapy, so I went to school and was graduated with a certificate to become a massage therapist. I struggled for a couple of years, trying to build a clientele, but to no avail. Working full time and trying to build on a part time basis was not cutting it for me, so I shelved that love and kept on working.

That was until I got a phone call from a friend of mine that was opening her own salon, and asked if I would like to be their massage therapist. Are you kidding me? This seemed like the perfect opportunity to leave my current job and move into a totally new career doing something else that I loved, massage.  I was so excited, and planned, dreamed and began to think about how great it was going to be. But, in the deepest part of my heart, something did not feel right. Not that making this change was wrong or bad, but just that still small voice telling me, "no, not yet". I didn't know if it was not THIS or just WAIT.  I left for a ten day mission trip and prayed about it the entire time. When I got home, I was more sure than ever that it was a no for me at this time, so I called my friend and let her know. That was July 25, 2016.

August 9, 2016, two weeks and one day later, I opened an email that I get every morning. It listed all the new properties for sale that day. I was always curious, so I took a few minutes each day to look. As I scrolled through the listings, a piece of commercial property was before my eyes, and I loved it. I turned my computer monitor toward Randy and said, "here it is, our new restaurant". Randy and I had always joked about opening a sub shop, one of his passions. If we combined the subs and massage, we could call it Subs and Rubs. I was really kind of joking when I showed him, and much to my surprise the words "lets go look at it" shot from his mouth (I think before he had time to think about them).

I called and made an appointment to meet the relator that evening after work. This little building in Marietta, SC,  is a 30-45 drive from where we were living and working in Greenville. On the way there, we drove through a terrible storm, one of the worst I can ever recall, the kind where your windshield wipers are beating fast and hard against the windshield, and you can't blink as you try so hard to see two feet in front of you. Randy said "lets call and reschedule" but we were over half way there, and I knew she had to be on the way as well. So we kept on driving.

As we approached Marietta, the rain let up and by the time we parked the car, the sun was out, and this beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky just above the building next to the one we were looking at. I told Randy, "there's our sign!", I even took a photo of it.

God continued, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and everything living around you and everyone living after you. I’m putting my rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between me and the Earth. From now on, when I form a cloud over the Earth and the rainbow appears in the cloud, I’ll remember my covenant between me and you and everything living, that never again will floodwaters destroy all life. When the rainbow appears in the cloud, I’ll see it and remember the eternal covenant between God and everything living, every last living creature on Earth.” Genesis 9:13-16 MSG

 I really think it was at that moment that we knew, this little building would be ours, even if we didn't know for sure what we would do with it.

So, here it is, our "Little Stone Building". We are believing that God led us here, and has a great plan for this amazing little building, and our ordinary lives. I believe that the flood waters that have washed over our lives in the past are over, and that regardless of what comes our way, God is with us and leading us. 

This is just the beginning of a crazy, great ride. Follow along as I share the ways in which God has and is blessing us as He leads us on this journey.

Front door of Little Stone Building

Back of building

Beginnings and Endings

Endings are better than beginnings. Sticking to it is better than standing out. ~ Ecclesiates 7:8 MSG

New beginnings are exciting, fun, filled with hope and promise of something better.

Endings can be sad, hard, painful and cause us to be reflective. I am not sure what Solomon, the writer of Ecclesiates, meant by endings being better than beginnings, I think they both have their good and bad points.

What I am finding on this day, the beginning of the end of my employment and retirement from a job that I have held for over 27 years, is a great mix of all the above. I have been a huge mix of emotions today. I knew this day was coming, but until it actually arrived, I didn't know what to expect.

I have worked for a millwork wholesale company since I was in my early twenties. When I walked in the front door in 1990 I didn't know the difference between a jamb, sill or T-astragal. I started as an order entry/file clerk and worked my way up to an administrative/purchasing position.

If you don't know much about millwork, you may not appreciate one of my funniest early experiences.  It was my job to hand key all the sales orders into the computer. A typical door unit would have the size, thickness, door type, etc. My office manager brought me a packing slip for an order I had entered that read: Interior Door Unit, 3/0x6/8 1 3/8 Solid Core BITCH. (it should have said BIRCH). I was so embarrassed, because the customer of course had seen it, along with everyone in the office as it was passed around for a good laugh. I am glad that I have learned to laugh at myself since then, because there have been many instances for me to do just that.

Learning was one of the best parts of the job for me, that and helping people solve problems. I soaked up as much information as I could but am sure there is much more I will leave not knowing.

I was supported through the very difficult end of my tumultuous first marriage, counselled on my decision to marry the second time and leave the country, and welcomed back just 10 months later when that marriage failed. Best of all, I worked with the man that would end up being the love of my life, my third (and final!) husband.

My work family stood by me as I struggled through my years of healing from physical and sexual abuse, infertility and loss of loved ones. I literally grew up in this one office, having spent over half of my life within its walls. Walls that protected me from the pain of the outside world until I was healthy, whole and ready to leave them for this new venture in my life.

I will post, as promised, on our story of opening the restaurant, but I could not move on without honoring this part of my life, and reflecting on all that it has meant to me.

So thank you to those that hired me, believed in me, supported me, laughed at and with me, tolerated me, forgave me, taught me and loved me. You will forever be a huge part of my story and I am eternally grateful and blessed to have shared these years of my life with you.

You asked for it, you got it

Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Isaiah 55:2a

A funny thing happened while on a mission trip a couple of years ago. The wheels were set into motion for the change of my life.

I was on a trip with my church at Epic Missions in Indian River, Florida. I was working in the kitchen with Jackie Munsey, one of the founders of Epic Missions, discussing a dream of mine to also do something similar to what she was doing. I felt unfulfilled in the job I had and wanted to make a difference in the world. I love to cook,  for one or large crowds, it doesn't matter to me. I enjoy feeding people,  love to see them enjoy a meal, and be satisfied. After I had shared this with Jackie, she told me not to give up on that dream, that God had placed it there in my heart for a reason.

Fast forward one month from that conversation. I was approached by a talented hair dresser that I know, to work in her salon as a massage therapist. I have been a licensed massage therapist for nearly ten years, but have not been practicing for nearly a year. I was so excited at the possibility and wanted so desperately to make it work. I planned, thought, and tried my best to make it a reality, but there was a nudging in my heart that this was not the right thing (or at least the right time) for this endeavor.  I told her I wanted to think about and pray during my upcoming mission trip to Nicaragua, just the following week.

As I was away from all the hustle and bustle at home, and was truly seeking God’s plan in this situation, I knew that it was not what God wanted for me and when I got home, I called to let my friend know what I had decided. I got up, went back to my regular job (that I had been at for nearly 27 years) the next morning, and back to life as usual.

About two weeks later, I was looking at a real estate website, and decided to glance at commercial real estate. There is was, the least expensive listing, in a very small town about 20 miles from our house, and it was calling my name. I had been in this town many times during a previously difficult time in my life and had not been back in nearly 20 years. But I was drawn by this cute little building, with so much character, I just had to see it.  I said to my husband “Randy, I just found our little take out restaurant building”. He turned around with that same smile he always gives me, and said, “lets see”. I showed him the photos and the listing and told him the price. “Let’s go look at it” so I called the realtor and made an appointment for later that evening after work.

It was POURING rain when we left work, the hardest I believe I have ever driven through. Randy wanted to postpone, but she would have already been on her way too, so we kept driving. The rain quit just as we approached the stone building that looked even smaller in real life.  When we got out of the car to walk to the front door, there was a gorgeous rainbow just to our left. “There it is, our sign!”

Actual photo taken when we went to look at the building the first time. 

Long story short, (and I do mean long story) we purchased the building and are working on converting it to a take out only BBQ restaurant, called Stone House BBQ.

I will take the next few posts to fill you in on the other challenges we have faced, the doors that God has miraculously opened and the vision we have for our little business.

Thank you for following our adventure and when we finally open, we look forward to meeting you in person!