Home is Where Your Heart Is

This is an emotional day.  That is not something I admit to with ease.  It is not something I relish.  But it is something I am trying to let myself experience.  Mostly because of good advice I have gotten to do so.  So I guess I'll do my best to explain.

Before 2019 I had never lived in a house for more than three years.  I went 37 years of my life never knowing a home for more than three full summers.  And honestly, I didn't really think on it that much.  The earliest home I can remember living in was in Colorado, in the trailer.  After that it was Cisco I, then Cisco II, then Morphy Court, then the Tan House.  After that it was Peoria Apartment.  Then Little Rental.  Then Lakeside Lane for a bit.  After that was the Duplex.  From the Duplex we headed on over to Market Street (still one of my favorites).  Then Duplex II.  After that was Marietta, then South Mahomet Road... and thats just with my Mom.  Dad moved even more.  It may seem like a lot but every one of those moves was for the better.  Every one took us to the next step.  I love my childhood, and I liked most of those houses.  Those many moves taught me resilience, and how to make friends, and gave me my my adventurous spirit.

From there it was a variety of dorms and apartments all the way through medical school, and finally Chadwick in residency... and that house came really close.  Heck I think it held the record for a bit.  After Chadwick was Apple Tree, the house we brought The Kid home too.  Then Dog House Rental... and finally Redwood.

Redwood Court.  And here we stayed for six and a half years. Over twice as long as anywhere else.  Redwood Court.

Our Home.

And tomorrow, we leave.

And sorrow overwhelms me today.  Its like grief, only less intense, and less justified. Because in the end I knows these walls knew people before us, and were always going to know people after us.  This place is nothing but cinder block, sheet rock, studs and shingles after all.  Or at least that's what most people would see. But not to me.  To me this was a first.  To me this was the first place I have ever truly thought of as home. 

And tomorrow, we leave.  

Yes, we are leaving for a grand adventure - and we are leaving for another house dear to my heart. But we are leaving all the same.  And my heart is breaking a little.  As a parting tribute to this place, I wanted to post about the home, but more so the people and memories here that have stolen my heart.

  So here we go.

Oh Lovey!

The first time Lovey smiled at me like this - as I rocked her and gazed out the front windows.

The Kid first learning piano, on Grandma Letty's antique. unfortunately the sounding board was warped beyond repair and we had to scrap this antique.

Welcome home Babe-O!

An artist from the beginning.

 

 

Tea Party!

Christmas finery :)

 

This was the last days of the old deck, before we tore it up to pour the patio.  And it was the first days of the little blue pool!  This pool saw far more use than it was designed for, and provided years of fun for our kids and the neighbor girls.

While the fairgrounds were noisy many nights, the wide open field had its upside.

Frosty!

These three.  Lovey, the Kid, and Baberoo.  These three are my heart these days - and they filled this house with laughter, joy, and every morning the pitter patter of feet running down the hall.  Their joy infused this place.  In no time of our lives do small triumphs become heroic victories like in the bright summer days of childhood.  And yes, their defeats are just as amplified and Shakespearian.  Those memories will be down these halls for all three of these Children, and my smiling wonder at their growth will be set against this backdrop.

Myself, Gary and Mark catching the last few rays of sun.

Gary, Mark, Daniel, Wes, and Todd - who we lost this year.  Rest in Peace Neighbor.  I will see you again some day.

Gare-Bear and I in the snow.

Suzanna, Wes, and Mark - the original Redwood Basement D&D Crew!

My dear friend Tim - who got me into Warhammer AND Catholicism.

Mitch and Austin as we get ready to "slam hams" as we referred to playing Warhammer 40k.

Gary, Mark and I settling in.

Just past sunset, Mark's patio for a fire.

"Supervising" sledding.

When the weather was nice enough we'd game outside, with wine.  Mark (Grant), Sarge (Ty), Gary (Drezzick), and Suzanna (Arcotti).

Party in the Sac!

Dana, Mark, Wes and I grilling out.  Our patio had a natural gas hookup for my grill.  I mastered that thing.

Sarge, Suzanna, and Wes - right before one of our D&D Sessions

My friend Nick and I putting up Christmas Lights.  Nick was always eager to lend a hand.

The best drinking is street drinking.

Sunday Night Dinner.

Lovey was always so fast to make friends.

Surprise pizza party!

Chik-Fil-A party!  Cooking dinner is for the birds.

 

To the Cul-De-Sac!

And it wasn't just family.  It was friends.  The LORD has blessed me richly.  The people of Redwood Ct - and the people that came here, played here, gamed here, laughed here, and loved here are truly amazing.  In the 6.5 years of our time in this home we had new friends come, while others went.  We had new friends born, while others passed away.  Mark, Kathy, Nick, LeeAnn, Emilee, Karlee, Oliver, Gary, Cathy, Todd, Danielle, Linda, Larry, Daniel, Ben, MarryAnn, Wes, Suzanna, Dana, Mark K., Sarge, Tim, Austin, Mitch, and Dakota... each of you has made an impact on myself and my family.  All of you I hope to see again, though for two of you it will have to be in Heaven.  Some of you I know we will see again soon Up North!

But all of you will be sorely missed.  Your companionship transformed myself, my family, and this house.  Your generosity in time, treasure, and love paid enormous dividends in my life and in the life of my family.

Thank you all.

A kingly view.

A sure sign of sunny days to come.

Summer fun in the sprinkler.

Magnolias in bloom out the Hobby Room window.

Past breezy autumn days, through winter storms or the torrential downpours of spring, and in the bright glorious days of summer this was an amazing home.  A blessed home.  And I realize now, at the threshold of this move that I might have just cut "The Good Old Days" short.  That in a blink they passed me by.  I don't know that days like these will ever come again for me.  Not exactly like this I suppose.  And maybe that is the way it is supposed to be.  Redwood Court isn't heaven.  I know that.  But there was something here that caught a little glimmer of heaven's light.  Of that I am certain.

I have no doubts that the next chapter holds great wonders, and blessings beyond count.  But for now I am going to mourn the blessings past.  Farewell Redwood Court.

Home.