A Bittersweet Farewell to a Place Filled with Memories

Leaving our home of over twenty years is hard to say the least. I have heard from so many of you who know that firsthand. But today I wanted to share some of the thoughts and feelings I’m experiencing with those of you preparing to make a move of your own. This is my bittersweet farewell to a place filled with memories.

As the “for sale” sign was placed in my front yard this weekend, I found myself wavering.   Deep down I know it’s the right thing for us but still… it is incredibly hard.  So many memories!  

This house… no wait… this home, was such a happy place for all of us.  Oh of course I loved to decorate it.  So many rooms spread out like a great big canvas just for me.  But where that is concerned, it has really become “too big” for me.  I will miss the house no doubt.  But that really isn’t the problem.  It is the “home” part that I’m having trouble letting go of.  

Seasons of Life

The many seasons spent here are front and center in my mind as I pack for the movers. Just as I decorate for each of those seasons, I also tend to break down the memories created here in much the same way.

When I look back, I realize that as a family, we are very much creatures of habit. We tend to do the same things year after year, made different simply by the birthdays that came and went. That consistency was always a comfort to me. Each memory is a beautiful jewel in my life and they play like a movie as I prepare to leave here.

Springtime

I’ve always loved the first signs of spring. The flowers popping up through the ground, the birds returning, and although never fast enough for me, the shift in the weather from snow to rain. Then the green! That first hint of the color on the trees that will soon cover the yard like a protective canopy brings a sigh of relief. Winter is over and there is a brand new year to take on!

The season of renewal and rebirth is always on full display in the yard and the greenbelt behind my home. I’ve watched countless nests being built and enjoyed the beauty of the newborn fawns born in the field. I’ve saved several baby bunnies from my pack of wild dogs as well.

The squirrels that visit me daily are a constant source of entertainment. Katie, since the time she was old enough to talk, has named every animal we’ve ever encountered. To this day, we refer to each squirrel by his first name, Bert. I’m not quite sure if that was a nod to Sesame Street or Mary Poppins but “Bert” is what we call them all. Occasionally, I’ve even seen them consorting with their natural predators. But I’m convinced the wildlife that visit my home feels the serenity here and acts accordingly! Just amazing!

I feel as though I missed this beautiful season this year. Spring was spent weeding out and packing up.

Summer

Summer has been a bit of a blur as well. The house was full of workers adding the finishing touches we felt were necessary for the next owners. If the truth be told, I barely even noticed them. My mind was elsewhere. I was lost in the memories of the many summers spent in this house.

Graduation parties, BBQ’s, and so many wonderful dinners out on the deck with friends has dominated my thoughts. Fourth of July get togethers and watching fireworks from the porch. The annual Parker Country Festival was always the highlight of this season. Most years it began with a get together at our house and then a convoy down to park. It would culminate with a house full of kids who weren’t quite ready for the evening to end when they closed things down for the night.

I loved having a house full of kids! We were always the hang out house for my daughter and her friends. Countless sleepovers, birthday parties, movie nights.  Giggling straight through till morning.  A newer development than ours popped up during Weston’s high school years and we lost our “hang out house status” with him.  Our projection TV that once was so cool, lost out to the beautiful theater rooms in the new houses where his friends now lived. We missed the designation but were grateful for times they all dropped in for the day.

As I finish up my yard work, I see the shed we built in the corner of the yard.  While the kids were here, it was packed solid with bikes, water tubes, yard games and more.   (Several of those items are still there!). When they moved out, I had every intention of turning it into a potting shed.  The farthest I got on that project was to hang the sign.  Perhaps the next owner will turn it into a she shed.  It would be perfect for that!

At any rate, I know they will enjoy the yard.

Autumn

My thoughts continue on towards the many wonderful autumns spent here.   Countless back to school nights where we would come home, sit by the fire and discuss the many compliments the kids would get.  Homecoming games.  Making 100’s of pumpkin spice cupcakes for fundraisers and all the wonderful Thanksgivings with family and friends!.

Halloween was of course a much bigger deal when the kids were younger. We turned the house into a neighborhood warming station complete with hot chocolate and cookies each year.

We all got into the spirit of the holiday!

Of course, Katie has now taken it to a whole other level!

I loved my walks through the neighborhood this time of year. I would tend to rise earlier than normal to enjoy every minute of this beautiful season. Coffee out on the patio before the house came to life was my favorite way to start the day.

I am hopeful that I will miss this season as well! We are planning on spending some time on the coast and I will be in great need of the comfort I’ve always found by the sea.

Winter

Although the winter weather is something I definitely won’t mind saying goodbye to, Christmas memories are some of my favorites. Christmas has always been my number one holiday.  My second marriage brought me my Christmas soulmate.  He is every bit as crazy about the season as I am.  

When the kids hit middle school, it was so important for us to know their friends.  Equally as important was to know their friend’s parents too. Friends make all the difference at that age.  Because of this, the annual Tyler Christmas party was born.  Inviting their friends and the family gave us the opportunity to get to know the people with whom our kids were spending time with. 

What started out as intimate get togethers, grew and grew to a major holiday event each year.  Friends for the kids came and went as interests and activities changed but we had formed relationships with their parents that still remain in place today.  We carried on this tradition all through high school and into the college years. 

We’d begin preparations mid November with trees in every room. From there we moved on to menus, party gifts, and arranging sleigh rides, Santa… we’ve done it all!

So many wonderful parties and each one had their own special moments. The year my neighbor’s son who I watched grow up got early leave from the Marines and surprised us all is a favorite. Another when I opened the door to greet guests and welcome them inside and the last person through the door was my mom.  My mother who hated to fly as much as I do!  Somehow my husband had talked her into boarding a plane alone and flying up to surprise me that year. The first time the kids and all their friends were together again after scattering to colleges around the country.  All jewels that sparkle so brightly even today!

I know I’ll be spending a lot of time on memory lane in the next month.  I also know I will be shedding more than a few tears.  It’s impossible not to,  so much of our lives were spent in this beautiful place.  But in the end I will be leaving behind a house.  It will fall to the next family to make it a home again.  I pray that it will always be a happy one.  The bones are good.  They need only to add the love! 

I wish you all a beautiful autumn season! See you again soon!