The air was crisp and cold. Thunderous waves crashed onto the coastline to the west. Seagulls dove for fish in the gentle river flowing to the east. The mountains rose in the distance, their majestic pine trees ascending to the heavens.

It was New Year’s Day in 2018. We were visiting our favorite Oregon coastal city. It was our fifth holiday break spent exploring the community, daydreaming about our future retirement and the life we would live there.
“Let’s go visit The Reserve,” I said. Our desired neighborhood was still under development and available lots were rapidly disappearing. I knew we wouldn’t be ready to retire for at least five years, but we drove through the development each year, occasionally stepping out to walk an empty lot. I would stand under the trees, imagining what it would be like to have our living room on that spot.
As we drove past the remaining land for sale, I noticed a now-familiar sign advertising the real estate broker for the development. We called him and explained that we were visiting for the week, and hoped to gather some information about The Reserve. “Come on over,” Tim said.
A warm fire crackled in his cozy office as we told Tim about our annual drives through The Reserve. He said, “Let’s look at what we have available over there,” as he pulled out blueprints and information binders.
“I think this one is the best lot,” he said, pointing to a 2.5-acre parcel. “Let’s go take a look.” I told Tim that the lot had been one of our favorites, but hadn’t appeared in my ongoing online research. Tim confirmed that the property was still for sale and expressed surprise that it hadn’t been sold long ago. “It’s like the lot has been hiding or something,” he said. “Maybe it’s been waiting for you.”
At Lot 98, a short walk led to a wide clearing nestled in its own forest. A berm of towering trees hid the property from the street. A mountain range decorated the north. As I closed my eyes, I felt as if I had been there before. The resonance of the nearby ocean waves chorused with the breeze rustling through the pine trees. I took a deep breath and could feel my heart swelling with joy as I thought, “we are home.”
I was suddenly hit with a wave of sadness, realizing that there was no way to preserve this awe-inspiring portal until we were ready to move. Tim explained that real estate was slow in the winter and the developers were offering enticing financing options to build out the neighborhood. With no development deadline, we could buy a lot and build when we were ready. I held hands with my husband and daughter and said “Let’s do it!”
We returned to Tim’s office to write an offer, then left to have lunch while he presented it to the owner. He promised to call as soon as he had a response. I was buzzing with excitement as well as apprehension as we sat at a waterfront restaurant. With this remarkable opportunity seemingly falling into our laps, I was suddenly afraid it would slip through our fingers.
“Okay, family, here’s the thing…we need to manifest this property. Let’s make this happen. Do you remember that trip we took to Oregon in January of 2018 when we found the lot for our forever home? Do you remember how nervous we were when we were waiting to hear about our offer? Do you remember how our favorite lot was just waiting for us? Do you remember how amazing it was when it was finally ours?”
My daughter jumped in: “YES. I remember that trip. It was so incredible when we first heard that the property was ours. Do you remember how happy we were? We jumped up and down and screamed!”
My husband smiled and said, “I remember it too. We just knew it was right. We found our home, made our offer and within a day, it was ours. It all just fell into place, as if it was meant to be.”
As we strolled through the local shops, we continued to remind each other about “that January 2018 trip when we bought our property." We marveled at how happy we had been when we found out it was ours, and how much fun it was to build our forever home on that awesome site. We laughed about how nervous we were, and how we were overcome with joy when Tim confirmed that it was ours.
After several hours of reminiscing, telling each other stories of that “long ago” trip when we found our Oregon home, my phone rang. I held my breath and my husband and daughter crossed their fingers as Tim announced, “They accepted your offer. The lot is yours.”
We returned home at the end of our trip, elated about our plans. I began organizing my Oregon photos, daydreaming about our future as I surveyed years of coastal memories. While scrolling through old photos from 2013, a familiar image caught my eye. I scanned the now-familiar open lot, nestled among its own majestic forest. A mountain range rose in the distance; a berm of trees protected it from the street. It was nearly identical to my 2018 photos of our future home.
Stunned, I showed the photos to my husband, who said,“I know. Don’t you remember? We walked that property years ago. You announced that we were going to live there someday when we retired. You’ve been manifesting that lot for five years now.”
I placed the 2013 and 2018 photos next to each other and marveled at how our vision fell into place. Sending silent blessings to our land, I thanked the universe for preserving our dream. I turned to my husband and said, “Honey, remember the first time we opened the front door to our beautiful forever home? Wasn’t that a great day?”
Comments