House Memories

Tomorrow Brother, Sister and I will be tasked with looking at all the offers that have come in for the purchase of my Daddy's home.  Sad as this may be we are okay with it.

Seeing these photos lets us know that we still have wonderful memories but that it is time to let the physical property go and the physical body as he is no longer with us.

Looking through old photos I am taken to so many memories that will be with me forever in the house.  But the house just was not able to withstand time and deterioration, the wear and tear of living.

We said goodbye to Daddy and now we say goodbye to the house, the house where all these memories were made but they are not in the house they are in our hearts and mind.

Many Christmas's, birthdays, Thanksgivings...just family gatherings.

Lots of grandkiddos passed through the door and were much loved.

My brother, sister and I are at peace with this process we must go through and that is what counts.

Memories...memories...memories...

This house is not the first one we've had to leave behind, give over to someone else to make memories...

Grandma's house that we drive by often has gone through many transitions.  It's been an Italian restaurant, a tea room and now it's a hospice, but we have our memories of the house.  Memories of playing with my aunt's Barbie's when she allowed me to touch them (LOL.)  Memories of running up the stairs, running around the house, laughter, memories of Grandma's organ and on the wall above a map of Vietnam, where my uncle was deployed.  Memories of me sitting in my favorite uncle's lap, Uncle George, and watching his cigar smoke curl around his head and up in the air.  Those sweet memories are what holds us together to carry on and move forward with life.

Memories of falling off that step and not breathing after the hard hit and Grandma breathing life back into me, as the story goes.

Memories of my Greatgranny's house in Jay.  Another house that is no longer there or at least most of it is gone, but the memories, oh the memories of that house are mighty.  Sleeping in my Greatgranny's featherbed and getting up at dawn to go with her in our nightgown to the barn to milk her cow, Pet, and the collie Sandy walking alongside us along the wooden bridge over the creek that never had water in it.  The smells of the barn come wafting to the surface of my memories of that house and it makes me smile.  Not necessarily memory smell of manure, but memories of the grain, the hay, the cow.  Greatgranny's cat Fatso, sitting on his hind haunches while Greatgranny squirted milk fresh from the cow's teet into his mouth.  Now those are powerful memories.

Houses have a hard time withstanding the wear and tear of time, but memories are forever.

Our very first home, the apartment...we renewed our vows here at 25 years (now coming up on 45!)

Our first home we purchased.  We still drive by it often and remember.  Do we want to own it or live there again, ABSOLUTELY NOT!  But we drive by and remember that we spent 10 years there, our babies were born while living in that house.  Our first pet, sweet Bilbo Baggins shared his life with us in that home.  We're still friends with the neighbors from next door.  We started our business in that house.  

Momma cooking with friends in the kitchen where she cooked so many meals for us, our children, where her mother cooked.  Memories, memories, memories...

Backyard shenanigans...

Yes there are lots and lots of memories there and now we leave the house to someone else to make memories or more than likely another house will take it's place.  Like I said, we are okay with this process and what we must do.  We can't hold onto it for a shrine, Daddy would not want that at all I can guarantee that.  We make a shrine in our hearts and let the tangible go.