God is full of surprises. He brings people together in amazing ways that can only happen through his divine power.
I will never forget the day I met Flor. We were both at the wonderful garden nursery in Caimital. She was with a friend, walking around and talking about various plants. I was there alone searching for more flowers to brighten up my garden.
Flor approached me warmly with a big smile on her face and said, “Buenos Dias!” and I replied, “Buenos Dias!”
Flor asked, “Where are you from?” I replied, “Playa Carrillo!” Then she said, “Where are you really from?”
The Buckeye Connection
“Ohhhh, I am from Arizona, in the United States.” Flor announced proudly, “I lived in the United States – in Ohio.” “No way, I’m originally from Ohio. I was born in Columbus!” Smiling ear to ear, she came back with, “Yes, Columbus is the capital.”
Flor, who lived in Ohio for 34 years, worked as a nanny for families after initially cleaning houses, including a notable 11-year stint with one family.
It was at this garden nursery in Caimital, Costa Rica, that Flor and I became instant friends. We celebrated the coincidences of our being there on the same day and at the same time. Furthermore, discovering that we both lived in the same city in Ohio at the same time. Ultimately, we learned the purpose for our connecting the next time we got together.
Like Two Peas in a Pod
Flor and I soon got together again; this time she visited my home in Playa Carrillo. I was excited to show her my house and share my experiences building a home in Costa Rica. As we enjoyed our meal together, we discovered we had so much in common: we both had two adult children in the United States and we were both single at this stage in our lives.
We shared a love of nature, plants, trees, and flowers. In her first career, she served as a nutritionist for the government of Costa Rica for 25 years. She traveled all around the country helping pregnant mothers learn about good nutrition for themselves and their children.
It gave me goosebumps when Flor shared that she too was building her dream home in Costa Rica. We were like two peas in a pod, sharing not only similar dreams but also the excitement and challenges that come with such an endeavor. I listened intently as Flor began to tell me her story, describing the lush green landscapes and mountain views from her land. Her passion and enthusiasm were contagious as she painted vivid pictures of what her future home would look like, complete with organic gardens and panoramic views of the mountains and hillsides, filling me with inspiration and a sense of shared purpose.
Flor’s Big Dream
It was always Flor’s plan to return to Nicoya, her birthplace, a Blue Zone (https://www.bluezones.com/explorations/nicoya-costa-rica/) and build a house where she would live the rest of her life. This was her dream. Flor worked very hard in the United States for 34 years and saved the money to build her dream home in Costa Rica. Wisely, she purchased a beautiful piece of land in 2003. She intended to build her home on this land.
Construction Begins
At the start of 2024, Flor left the United States after 30 years and moved to Costa Rica to build her dream home, creating the design and hiring a Nicaraguan crew, who made significant progress on the construction, thrilling her as her dream began to take shape.
It was a typical day of construction and Flor left the job site to run errands. The lead builder called her and said that he needed more materials. He asked for more money to start the next phase of the project. She went to the bank, withdrew the money, and returned to the job site. Flor handed over the money to the lead worker and explained that she needed to finish her errands.
Flor never imagined what was going to happen to her upon her return. As she drove up to her property, her heart sunk. The workers were nowhere to be found. Her tools and materials were missing! Flor stopped breathing. She asked the gardener to hit her in the back to get her to start breathing again. Everything came crashing down on Flor!
Keep Calm and Carry On
Carry On? Yes. Keep Calm? No. Flor trusted and believed in the lead builder. Raising her voice she exclaimed, “How could he do this to me?” Flor was crushed and filled with anguish. How could they take her dream away like that? She was emotionally frozen. She reached out to God for help in this time of crisis. He answered her prayers.
Understandably, it took Flor awhile to recover but slowly she got back up on her feet again. Flor was given a new sense of determination to finish her dream home. At 80 years old, Flor was strong and very healthy. She was determined to finish her dream home in Costa Rica. She received encouragement from her family, friends, doctor, and God to keep carrying on with the plan. Flor found a new worker to help her keep the construction project moving forward. She changed her focus from the house to her yard. There, she planted a small orchard of trees and various flowering plants throughout the property. I toured her lot in Nicoya. She proudly showed me her magnificent Guanacaste Tree. As we walked around the property, she pointed out her seven species of mango trees, banana trees, a variety of citrus trees, and passion fruit trees.
Help is Just a Phone Call Away
One day, out of nowhere, Flor received a phone call from Shaker Heights, Ohio. A family was looking for a nanny for the year. They needed someone to take care of their new baby, arriving in May 2025, and their three-year-old daughter. This was answered prayer for the money she needed to finish her dream home. She told the family YES. They bought her plane ticket and she is heading to Ohio on July 26. Flor will serve as a full-time nanny again at 80 years old!!
Never Give Up on Your Dream
Flor learned a lot from having her construction money and tools stolen. Upon her return to Costa Rica in 2026, she shared with me the changes she is going to make:
- Write a contract and have the lead worker sign it. (She did not have a contract with the lead Nicaraguan worker.)
- Pay for all the materials directly. Do not give money to the workers to buy materials.
- Pay the workers directly for their labor and have them sign and date that they received their weekly payment.
- Never trust anyone too much.
Friends for Life
Flor and I are friends for life. We share a common bond of overcoming crushing disappointments and challenges with our builders, and can now be of encouragement to each other. Flor will finish her dream home, just like I did.
Sometime in the not so distant future, we will be eating some of her delicious mangoes, freshly picked from her vibrant trees, each bite bursting with sweetness and sunshine. We will be sipping rich Costa Rican coffee, its aroma filling the air, while enjoying every precious moment together, laughing and sharing stories on the patio of her beautifully finished dream home.
During our recent lunch together, as the sun cast a warm glow on our table, she gazed at me with an expression of gratitude and joy, saying, “God is good. He brought us together!” And indeed He did, weaving our lives into a tapestry of shared dreams and cherished memories that will surely thrive under the sun of our future adventures.
