Today, my parents are moving to a new house. Today, our home becomes someone else’s home. It’s hard to imagine another family living at 115 Pleasant Creek, but I know my parents have been waiting for this day for a very long time!
As happy as I am for my parents (hey! they got the dream – a little red brick Victorian in a cute small town!) I will miss that house so much.
I remember talking to my grandmother (whose room was downstairs) through the vent that connected our two rooms. We would have secret conversations when I couldn’t sleep.
I remember all the fantastic BBQed meals we enjoyed on the back porch. (Maybe that’s why Erick and I chose a house with a similarly amazing back porch.)
I’ll remember being surrounded by autumn colours, no matter where you looked. The trees were at their most beautiful in the fall. I hope that the new owners will take time to enjoy them.
I remember how beautiful our Christmas tree always looks in the giant, open living room. The light reflected off the large front window and the effect was pure magic.
I remember my grandmother and me cutting a hole in the carpet downstairs to have a place to play marbles, then covering it up with an area rug. It took my parents fifteen years (and a flooded basement) to find out about that one!
I remember my 21st birthday party, when parents went all-out and hired a jazz combo to perform! I danced in the living room with my (other) grandmother, and it was the first time she truly enjoyed herself since my grandfather had died.
Mostly, I remember how I felt in that house: safe, loved, happy. It was a house where people gathered and lingered over good food and great conversation. It was a house where last-minute guests were welcomed and old friends knew that they should help themselves to whatever was in the fridge.
And I remember music. Always so much music.
I worry that you might think I feel resentful or hurt that my parents have sold my childhood home. Not so. I know how excited they are to begin this next phase of their lives together, and I am so relieved that they will not have that huge house to worry about all winter. I can’t wait for the next « generation » of parties and gatherings and family events in the new house!
After all, « home » isn’t defined by the physical space or location. « Home » is wherever you’re with the people you love.
*****
Here’s where I link up each week:
Mondays: Merry Monday, Monday Funday, Inspire Me Monday, Show & Tell, Lou Lou Girls
Tuesdays: Tell ’em Tuesday, Two Uses Tuesday, Tutorials & Tips, Tuesdays with a Twist, Hit Me with Your Best Shot, Tickle My Tastebuds, Treasure Box Tuesday, Tasty Tuesdays
Wednesdays: Pin Worthy Wednesdays, Work it Wednesday, Wow Us Wednesday, Wake Up Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday, Whimsy Wednesday, Welcome Home Wednesdays
Thursdays: Think and Make Thursday, Handmade Hangout, Weekend Re-Treat, Favourite Things, Artsy Fartsy Link Party, What to Do Weekends, Friday Features (Thursday)
Friday: Fiesta Friday, Feathered Nest, Link Party Palooza, Friday Favourites
Saturday: Share it One More Time
Sunday: Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Silver Pennies, Sundays at Home, That DIY Party, Frugal Crafty Blog Hop, Share the Wealth Sunday, Food Stars
Monthly/Recurring: Great Blog Train, Sunday Brunch, Before and After
