Every house where love abides
And friendship is a guest,
Is surely home, and home, sweet home
For there the heart can rest.
-Henry Van Dyke
It was never my intention to become a multi-property real estate investor...and yet here I am. Our home on the coast is still on the market, 16 months after we accepted a new opportunity in a new city. We have learned to turn off our ears to the dire real estate market news. We have decided to ignore the calendar and just let it be. We aren't thrilled things have taken so long...and, we've been through this before with a previous home. While experience can be a harsh teacher, you don't forget the lessons. And so, we are keeping the stress at arm's length, usually...sometimes...kind of.
We took the kids back to our previous city and domicile to hit the beach and to check up on the house. We camped out at the house for one night, and let the twins see the abode where they also lived, though in utero, up until five weeks before their birth. We shed a few tears, cleaned up a few bugs, made a couple of lists and recounted some fun memories. 4 of 8 got to spend time with her best friend, an incredible young lady who lives directly across the street. We remembered again the things we loved about this home. We heard our children's voices ringing from the upstairs, heard their pounding feet playing tag in the game room. We felt our hearts ache a little bit. And then we packed up our sleeping bags, cleaned the potties and returned to our newest shelter.
6 & 7 of 8
Sigh. I loved that house.
Window sills make perfect little girl seats...
..and boy seats...8 of 8
Breakfast by windowlight...
Hangin' at the old crib...
So when does a house become a home? And when do you release a home to go back to just being a house? Have you moved? Are you moving? How do you feel about it, how do you make it work? What is hardest for you to leave? Feel free to tell it in the comment line or you can post your thoughts at your own url and link it here through the Mr. Linky's box below.
I linked to a post I did last week on a very similar subject... We are in the process of "preparing to move"-how ambiguous did I make that sound - about as ambiguous as I feel about the decision! I have lived in the home we are in now for 70% of my life (I just did the math) and though I think it's the right decision for us, I'm stil torn about moving.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures. I'm not moving & am very settled in where we live right now. I just think a house becomes a home when you're happy there more than anywhere else. When you walk in the door & you can feel all the love, whether you're alone or not.
ReplyDeleteBoy this really hit home for me! I'm up--and once again LOVE the photos.
ReplyDeleteOur house is on the market now and it's killing me. We don't have to move but would like to, so that's nice that we aren't pressured to move. But still. I still miss my first home. I think even after we moved it still felt like my home. I think anyplace you house your family with love is a home, though. Your coast home looks GORGEOUS!
ReplyDeleteAww how adorable!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post. Left my answer to your question at my "spot". I am quite the mover organizer after 26 years and hearing "moving" still gets to me. My prayers to all who are struggling in some way with their "Home Spirit".
ReplyDeleteThis is timely for me as well. We are preparing to move (again) to Orlando to be a part of a ministry there. We've only been living in our coastal home about a year and a half. We have moved so many times during our marriage that it is really difficult to feel "at home" anywhere. I keep waiting for the day that I feel settled and secure, but the Lord keeps taking us elsewhere. I think the biggest part of making this house feel like a home was when I hung the (then 6) baby pictures. Which I plan on doing again in the new house (now 7). For my kids, I think they feel at home as soon as they can get their stuff out of boxes. We have tried to instill the feeling that our family makes a home no matter where we happen to be staying.
ReplyDeleteThe hardest thing for me to leave behind is the memories of bringing a baby home for the first time, first steps, memories of how much the children have grown and changed, just precious family moments that have that house as a setting. The only thing to do is treasure these things in your heart.
Moving is my 2nd job after being a mommy! :) So I can totally relate. I posted about it..and linked.
ReplyDeletehehe i was thinking of just commenting..but this is a whole post in my answer so i will reply on my blog..but WOW i can see why you loved your old house!!
ReplyDeleteI have not sent you an up date yet on our move...I apologize for that. We have sold the house in the coastal community where we first met, but we have not "closed" on it yet. We are a week late in that due to issues on the buyers end. In the mean time, we are in our new city living in a hotel for the last three weeks. Hubby and I actually like to call it a "flat", sounds more vacationy that way. So, in our flat we have three kids and three animals. I have often thought of you when we first met and the apartment that you held as an in between abode. I have realized through this experience that a home is where my hubby and kids are. All else can fall away and the world can attack, but as long as we have each other, I am in my designated home on this earth. Of course my final home is waiting for me at a later time and date (Heaven), but my Lord and Savior has been gracious enough to let me feel just a little bit of that love while on this earth. Hopefully we will be in our new home here in our new city within the next week. Until then I am learning patience from my cats, joy from my dog, unconditional love from my kids and the miracle of being one from my husband. That is home enough for me.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I loved your coastal home as well, even if it did allow a kid to get lost easily.
ReplyDelete