St. Joseph is in the House!

And it's still not sold!

Nine months on the market. Two realtors. Too many price reductions to count. Time and money spent on improvements.

And it's still not sold!

But it's okay. I have St. Joseph in the house.

I found him at a local Catholic store. Just for the record, I did not burst into flames upon entering said Catholic store. I know some of my friends were taking bets, but it was cool.

People had told me to get a St. Joseph statue to help me sell my house. There was a big article in the Baltimore Sun newspaper about the power of St. Joseph in real estate sales. They even sell St. Joseph on E-Bay! What more convincing did I need? I mean, if it's on E-Bay, it must work!

St. Joseph comes in a "real estate kit". For $7.50 you get a three inch plastic statue of St. Joseph and a card with a prayer on it. It also has a nice picture of St. Joseph. He'd probably think this was all pretty cool. Recognition at last!

The very nice and sweet Nun, who thought I was a total riot, told me I could place the statue in my bay window, looking out on the view. When I sell the house, I should take him with me and put him in a place of honor in my new house. She also said he might like a little cowboy hat when we finally get to Texas. How cool is that? Sister said I should say the prayer daily and give St. Joseph time to do his work and get the house sold. And she told me not to worry. He'd even work for Pagans like me. He's an equal opportunity Saint.

Whew!

I've had him for a few weeks now. Since then I've had an upturn in showings. I was given the opportunity to get an affordable storage unit for all my beloved clutter. We found by chance, driving down the road one day, an antique bedroom door, complete with amazing period brass hardware, for my ever-loving teenage son's bedroom. It needed to be cleaned, sanded, painted and installed. It was the exact right size. That was unbelevable. I was also able to do some needed work on the house, including work on my very gorgeous oak hardwood floors. My new realtor is very pleased, happy and impressed with the positive feedback she's gotten on the house.

Is all of this the work of St. Joseph? Who knows? All I know is I have a renewed sense that my house will sell soon. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but surely before 2046. I had just about given up hope for my Texas dream to come true. But now, with St. Joseph on my side, I believe the end of this ordeal is in sight.

Wide open spaces, here I come!

The biggest miracle, however, is that said teenage son is keeping his room clean without argument.

I wonder if that's why my St. Joseph statue is carrying that big old hammer?