I sat on the raised fireplace hearth this morning and drank my coffee while I nibbled on some madeleines. We packed up the heavy furniture last night, and the only thing left are smaller pieces we can take with us on the back of a pick-up truck. It’s too soon to say goodbye.
The bitter coffee and the sweet cakes pretty much summed up my mood.
Last night, in the silliness that comes in the late hour after a long day, my son and I spoke loudly across the house to hear the echo. It was funny.
This morning as I look beyond the windows to the sunny day, I notice that what we’ve left behind is his great-grandmother’s trunk, filled to over-flowing with a lifetime, many lifetimes, of pictures. Of memories lovingly made and perhaps long forgotten. I call the dog and hear my voice echo again.
Everything is an echo as the memories of this room come back. When we moved in, there was a terrible baby blue carpet, freshly installed, so we kept it. There’s no accounting for taste in the 90s. It was the decade that spawned nylon track suits as acceptable attire. I know, I had a hot pink and teal one that I just unloaded at Goodwill.
We spent our first night in this home sprawled on that blue carpet, watching tv, and making little blanket pallets to sleep on. It started a family tradition of many pallet nights, with finger food dinners and family-friendly movies on Friday nights until those evenings were replaced with football games and school dances. Sigh. A lot of time has passed here.
We replaced the ugly blue carpet with bright wood flooring after the kids were grown.
I’m the one that’s blue today.
Awww!! A big hug to you. Moving away can be tough and I think you’ve captured it best in your words ‘Everything is an echo as the memories of this room come back’. I wish you many happy memories to create going ahead.
Thank you for those kind words! I am, indeed, looking forward to making new memories.
Maria, I am the President of Atlanta Archdiocesan council of Catholic Women, and I would love to get in touch with you. I live in Atlanta and I believe you will be at the NCCW Convention in Indianapolis and I will be there too.
Cheers to new memories and wonderful new pictures that will capture all kinds of moods in that beautiful new home!
x0x0x
Ana
It’s right to be sad, it’s a grieving process. Leaving a home is a loss that held a lot of memories. But you take the memories with you and the house is an empty shell soon to be forgotten with the excitement of a new home and exploring all it has to offer. Best wishes on your move, Bego.
AHH, how poignant! I am feeling what you are saying as I have teens and I know too soon everything will change. Hugs to you!
God bless you on the big changes you have made. Your courage and spirit are inspiring. So often I wonder if I am spending my life in the best way possible. My job is just a job. My passion is for things I can rarely find the time or energy. I hope all goes well with your move.
Thanks, Jan. It has been quite liberating. It’s hard to explain that submitting is liberating, but, well, it is. Very much so.