Home is Where the Heart Is

Today, we locked the door to the house I grew up in. My parents had been wanting to sell our house for a few years now. They had the new house picked out for over a year. And, finally - the right offer came along. It is hard not to trust God, when he let so many people see the house and not bite and when he had already fixed the issue of the house selling once before. But, saying good-bye to the house you've known for 18 years is hard. The new house is great, lots of space for our growing family, but it'll take adjustment of not being able to just drop by to see Mom and Daddy or grab dinner with them when Steve's working overnight.

As my mom and I sat in the floor of the dining room, while Daddy and Evan took the last couple of boxes to the truck, there was no denying that it was a moment of reflection. That house looked so HUGE when I was 5 years old, and we moved in. I remember not even being able to reach the light in my closet and wasn't strong enough to reach and pull on the faucet handle to turn on the sink water. It's the only house I remember living in, the house I grew up in. It was the house where we brought my baby brother home to, where we both experienced our first days of school, where birthday parties, baby showers, one of my wedding showers, and two of my graduation parties were held. It's the house where Santa came to visit, where family and friends gathered, and where we overcame so many of life's surprises. It's the house where I studied, applied to college, planned my wedding, and where Steve and I had our first kiss - on the front porch. So many arguments with Evan, so many tears, and so many laughs. Simply put - there are just so many memories from our past 18 years of living there.

My dad has always reminded me that a house does not make a home - the family inside it does. It's true. But, I feel like a part of me is missing right now, knowing my family isn't right down just a few roads and 5 minutes away. This weekend has been a whirlwind and emotional. I look forward to the new memories we'll make, but it is such a weird feeling to walk out of that house for the last time.