Work is no Substitute for Love

A Devotional by Angela Grace

“The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

I was watching a Hallmark movie called The Wedding Contract when I heard the line:
“Work is no substitute for love.”
It stopped me in my tracks.

That one line held the weight of everything we’ve walked through these last few years.

Our Story in a Snapshot

When Dean lost his job of 20 years due to the mandates, we were catapulted into a season of uncertainty.

He went from being employed to self-employed seemingly overnight, and our marriage faced real pressure.

The vacation rental, what is now our Rooftop Garden Luxury Suite was our saving grace. Without it, we don’t know how we would’ve made it.

The Quick Backtrack

• 2020–2021: We sold two rental houses, cashed in our 401(k)s, and got out of debt. I quit my full-time job, and we had a small savings cushion but we didn’t know Dean would be fired for refusing the COVID vaccines.
• 3 months without a paycheck: My Airbnb wasn’t yet live. Dean couldn’t get unemployment. Our savings dried up.
• 2022: After borrowing $4,200 from my mother for a car transmission, we were in debt again. Dean tried his hand as a handyman while helping me finish the Airbnb suite.

Finally, we launched the Rooftop Garden Luxury Suite in June 2022. It brought hope and cash flow, just in time.

Dean’s Crossroads & My Wake-Up Call

After nearly a year of trying to work independently, I encouraged Dean to return to Branson for a maintenance job in the resort industry where he had spent 20 years building his skills. We needed the income. He needed stability.

But it came with a cost:
Long hours again, on-call demands, and exhaustion for my 62-year-old husband.

I offered to shut down the Airbnb and go back to work full-time but he insisted I stay. “We’ve invested too much,” he said.

The days were long, and we were both tired. And that’s when I heard it again:
Work is no substitute for love.

We needed something to change, not just financially, but emotionally, spiritually, relationally.

A Better Way Forward

Seven months into the resort job, Dean landed something new, a facilities manager role at a local Christian organization. Less stress, more time at home, and peace.

We were still not where we wanted to be financially, but we were moving forward differently with more margin for what mattered most.

Dean was happier. I was running the Airbnb, tending the homestead, gardening, canning, writing, and caring for my aging parents. It’s a lot but it’s ours and we love it.

In 2023, we launched a new little project on Prominence Homestead:

Our First RV Site!

We built an RV site complete with hookups.
Water line — (completed)
Electric — (completed)
Gravel pad — (completed)

This took us a year to complete. After building the RV pad and getting everything set up and spending $1000 (Dean did the labor), we checked in with our State Farm insurance ready to rent out our RV pad as Harvest Hosts. We were excited!

But this was after the fact. State Farm would not cover the insurance on RV'ers because we were considered an RV park. But they would cover friends and family. That is what we were told. We did check with other companies as well and we are still checking.

So we adjusted our plans, again.

Another chapter in the Prominence Homestead story.

It's now 2025. It’s all good.

Maybe we could use the RV pad as a future place for a Airbnb dog kennel? We're thinking about it. At least for now we can let friends and family use it (the RV site not the kennel, lol).

Everything from the Airbnb, every booking, every dollar goes back into building this dream: our version of seasonal living, wellness, and romance in retirement.

From My Heart to Yours

If you’ve ever found yourself stretched thin emotionally, financially, spiritually I hope our story reminds you:

Adjust the plan, not the purpose.

Work matters certainly, but love matters more.

I’m so glad you’re here. You’re not just reading, you’re part of the unfolding story of Prominence.

Want to follow along as we share devotionals, romantic homestead life, and real stories of self-sufficiency, and faith? Subscribe to our love letter, Love From Prominence or check us out on Airbnb.

Ready to rest and reconnect?

Whether you're planning a romantic escape or a soul-refreshing solo retreat, we’d love to host you.

Stay grounded. Stay joyful. Stay in love.

Angela Grace