Saying Goodbye

A "For Sale" sign firmly planted on the front lawn of a family home is an unsettling yet common sight. The stark reality hits even harder when it's yours!  After 11 years, which by the way seems to have flown by in an instant, we have made the bittersweet decision to transition into the world of "downsizing".  The garage sale produced the necessary purging required as we transition into a much smaller home. Other cherished "heirlooms" have been delightfully passed on to our children.   Now with the remaining belongings safely packed into moving boxes, we have only a few days until we leave this familiar and comfortable place...our home. 
As the process nears completion, my aim is to focus on  celebrating the moments spent in this home, the parties, reunions,  holidays and visits from the grandchildren, as we say goodbye to this phase of our life and move more freely into our next adventure.  The gardens represent a true labor of love and I know I'll miss their bounty the most, although leaving the accompanying labor will not be difficult.  Smaller house means smaller gardens and I look forward to my next project.  I wonder if I'll need my recipe for foolproof deer control.....garlic, hot pepper and egg whites...a foul smelling but effective way to keep them from feasting on my hostas.  Last evening we had one of the infamous summer storms pass through.  The thunder and lightening with accompanying 60 mph winds had us mesmerized.  As we sat on the porch watching the trees sway, bending almost, before heading for safety in the lower level, we remarked how we certainly will not miss the concern of such storms felling a tree onto our roof.  There is always a silver lining!
So we leave this house we designed and built..... with trees bearing the names of our grandchildren; Caitlin's oak, Ainsley's Sweet gum..... passing it along to another family waiting to build memories of their own.  I hope they will pause for a moment and read the names and the dates of our grandchildren's growth chart on the wall downstairs,  before the inevitable paint brush forever removes that chapter from the history of this house.