End of an Era

From the time that I was 4 til I turned 18, I lived in the same house.  That house has been through a lot; what with 7 children, (4 of them boys), and many, many guests; and only one mother to wrangle them all in.  There were fun times and sad times, joyful times and devastating times; but all those times are now at an end.

This summer my mother was married, much to the joy of all those who love her; and she moved to the far east (east coast).  All her children (us) moved on to follow their own path and the house was left behind.  Which meant it must be sold!!! And so here we are.  The house must be empty by Friday.  And as I wondered through the house, I felt a tinge of sadness.  The once filled to bursting rooms are now bare.  The yard is overgrown (nothing new there, really) and cobwebs fill the corners (or there).  The cabinets and counters are empty; my mother's vast collection of cooking paraphernalia with her across the nation or spread out among a few trusted friends.  The family dog, living out his old age with my sister's family; no longer prancing around the empty backyard (yeah, he pranced).  I felt lonely in this empty house.  Remembering what it had been, seeing what it now was, thinking about what it soon would be.  Very sobering.

This holy (literally, holes everywhere!) building served its purpose.  It kept us relatively warm and dry for nearly 15 years, for some, longer.  It offered room to play and rooms to be creative in.  Many family gatherings have occurred within those walls.  MANY.  It is sad to think that no topless Christmas tree will fill the living room this Christmas (my brothers felt that if the tree didn't fit it was easier to just lop off the top instead of the bottom.  We often had very sad, trapezoid-shaped Christmas trees.)

But time rolls on, and this good thing at least, must come to an end.  It is good, we are ready to move on and will all be at peace when we are no longer responsible for its upkeep.  As I said, it served its purpose.  But one thing I had to preserve.  In the southwest bedroom, the walls are filled with memories of a childhood.  Whose we're no exactly sure, but someone's! ;) The walls are covered with drawings, sayings, and signatures.  We encouraged everyone who entered to leave their mark.  This was possibly not the best plan, as not everyone who entered understood the rules or was mature.  But still, what is left is truly interesting.  It is a room filled with personality and pizzazz, and will probably be painted over.  So in I have endeavored to preserve it in memory.

Oh and P.S.

I took something like 50 photos of the room, trying to catch most of the detail. If you would like to view all the pictures follow this link: Art Room

Also, my husband, being very creative; painted the hallway for my mom.