Saying Goodbye

Well....I always knew this day would come, but the time to say goodbye to our house. When we bought this house 8 years ago, we knew it was not a forever home. Our goal was always to be where Derek was coaching when the kids started kindergarten. And somehow, before our very eyes, time has flown by and we are fast approaching that day. Derek has spent the past 8 years commuting from this house to 3 different schools and we are ready to be closer to him. I knew it was coming...but knowing sure doesn't make it any easier.

For me, it's not just a house. It's a home. Our home. And before that, it was my grandparents' home. A home that they saved for years and years to build- and paid cash for. A home that they designed and worked hard to provide for our family to love for years to come. A home that has been loved by our family for 45 years. There have been many tears shed over the thought of leaving this place.

As a child, this home meant coming to see Mammaw and Pappaw. Playing baseball in the living room and Mammaw's cooking. It meant sitting at my grandmother's feet and letting her rub my back. Sleeping on a pallet on her floor and having her bribe me with a $1 if I could just be still. Many Christmas Eve's were spent opening presents and Christmas mornings with a big breakfast. As I got older, it meant visiting with my grandmother. Coming and talking and soaking up her wisdom. I could guarantee that she would be in her chair with her bible next to her every time I visited.

After my grandma died, Derek and I bought the house and decided to make it our own. We knocked out walls, painted, laid tile, changed doors, and everything in between. It was the first home we got to call our own. We left the front room empty and prayed that God would fill it with a baby- although his plan took much longer than we expected! I will never forget the faces of my friends and family who crammed in that empty room and pleaded with God to bless us with a child. I often prayed in there during those long years of wait with tears streaming. That room is Holy Ground.

And then- the day that our dreams came true! We brought our babies home to that room and spent countless hours in that same room rocking and feeding babies. Our babies learned to walk here in the living room. Took their first baths in tub. Said their first words and ate their first foods. For the past 4.5 years, this home has been SO full of LOVE and LAUGHTER. Singing is a daily occurrence. The fireplace is their stage. We can hear their feet coming down the hall in the morning with sleepy bed hair for morning snuggles.

To say that this home has been a blessing to our family is an understatement. So much love and happiness, and some pain and sorrow, has happened in these walls. We love this home and selling it is not small feet.

BUT...in all things, God is good. We truly believe that this is what is best for our family. The time gained with Derek is something that we long for so much. The hour he spends driving each day will be reduced to 5 minutes. Being part of the community where are children go to school is something that we all desire. Having room to run around outside and explore is going to be amazing for our boys- and Derek too. Even in the sadness, we look forward to the possibilities that await us living in a smaller community.

So we have officially listed our house for sell. We cherish the memories that this home holds and look forward to making many more in a new home. The best part of memories is that we can take them with us! And this house, as much as I love it, is just brick and walls. The people I get to take with me- they are my true home!