Welcome to another Grateful Heart Monday where gratitude remains the sole expression of my writing at the start of every week, which for today is for a woman named Taran Chellis New, a real estate agent in the Tampa, Florida area for the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Properties Group, who truly was a diamond in a lot of rough for my partner Chris and I during our short five weeks we attempted to make a move for a potential job offer Chris received that ended up in the end being a bust.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks that came at the onset of Chris fielding this potential job offer was the lack of help we were given in the relocation process. The human resources department of the place Chris was to be working for didn’t offer anything in the way of financial assistance, yet promised they’d help at least provide resources when we came to Tampa for a week trip in place of our cancelled vacation to Cozumel. When we arrived in Tampa though, we attempted to reach out to the HR department to ask where we should begin our search, but we received no contact back. Because of that, I decided to ask our hotel manager, Emilee, for help. I figured she at least would guide us to something to start our search for a future place to live. She immediately got in touch with a friend of hers named Melanie who worked for the Berkshire Hathaway Group as well, who quickly put us in touch with one of their agents, Taran.
During the course of our week in Tampa, Taran made time for Chris and I in her busy schedule, even on such short notice. She took us around on two separate afternoons to see various homes for rent and for sale and even drove us through various towns outside the city to show us all the possibilities. We were provided a wealth of information from her, enough to help us limit our focus to the exact type of home we were looking for and a more precise location of where we wanted to live in the Tampa area. Even better, she got us in contact with a friend of hers, Earl, a mortgage loan broker, who got us pre-approved for a nice amount.
I was amazed at how friendly Taran was throughout it all, even in the level of stress I most certainly carried outwardly, and how she went over and above for two individuals she had never met who had no idea of where to even begin a search that felt mammoth to us. Even when we told her we probably wouldn’t be buying anything in the first three of Chris’s employment and that I’d be remaining back in Toledo during that period of time, she continued to go to bat for us, looking for rental options for Chris, sending us one lead after another.
Chris and I consistently felt welcomed in her presence and enjoyed all the time we had with her in person and over the phone during out week trip to Tampa. Taran was a true joy to be around and provided us everything that Chris’s potential new HR department didn’t. And while the whole prospect of a new life and new job in Tampa eventually fell through for us, Taran remained optimistic and said she looked forward to seeing us again, even letting us know she’d be opened to passing Chris’s resume off to her husband’s company for any potential leads.
In the end, while the move to Tampa and potential new position for Chris was one that didn’t happen, Taran was the bright spot through it all and someone we both promised we’d work with again if God were to guide us back there with another opportunity. So, Taran, thank you so much for shining through all the darkness Chris and I experienced during the five stressful weeks we had in this relocation process. You truly were a beautiful diamond in a lot of rough and while our move didn’t happen, you were the best part about it all and precisely why I’m dedicating today’s Grateful Heart Monday entry to you.
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson
