The easiest way to look at it is that a house is just a structure. It is simply a mass of wood, electrical wiring and roofing material. No big deal really. A flood can saturate it, a hurricane can cause severe damage and a tornado can decimate it. It is after all, a man-made dwelling for the purpose of protecting against the elements, as much as that is possible to accomplish. What are most often overlooked is the other aspects of a human dwelling.
This house has seen many milestones over the course of the last eight years. It has witnessed laughter, tears, triumphs, disappointments, growth, friendship and hardship, just to name a few. The first thought is that this man-made structure is being given human characteristics which it doesn’t possess. It has nothing to do with the house, but everything to do with myself and the others of us who have lived and passed through this home.
I stand outside of this place and see things that most people don’t and can’t see. I see Christmas decorations and Halloween dressing. I see friends streaming through the door to attend a Hawaiian theme party. I see friends coming in for a cook out and back yard bon fire. I see my beautiful daughter in front of the fireplace taking pictures for prom. I see my handsome son as laid back as ever in the recliner enjoying a game or movie. I see my wonderful Roberto working to replace the living room flooring with tile as a gift to me. I see many, many meals abundant with friends and family. I see games being played and birthdays celebrated. I even see the people who have visited who are no longer with us. I see Sunday afternoon Football with a room full of hearty fans rooting for their beloved Panthers while delicious smells waft from the kitchen or backyard grill. I see giggling girls working on their hair and determined guys preparing to go fishing or returning with their catch of the day. I feel the warmth of the wood fire in the fireplace. I see hopeful hands working on tiny gardens or planting trees they can’t wait to see grow and flourish.
I see things from the heart, because the heart is the only thing that gives me hope. So when I face the prospect of leaving the one place that I could truly make my own, could mess up, clean up or fix up as I pleased, could welcome the masses or sit back in quiet peace and enjoy, it touches me deeply. It was meant to be my ultimate accomplishment; to provide a place of stability for myself and my children. It was meant to be my open-hearth and opportunity to welcome loved ones in to feel comfortable and for my tiny family to feel they had a home. It saddens me to face the prospect of having that diminish. However, I understand that all of this does not end with the end of this one structure. I also understand that this structure had nothing to do with the feelings, love and laughter it contained. That having been said, I cannot simply look back on leaving this house without feeling that something is coming to an end. All of us who live here will spread out and take different courses as well, we all should. There comes a time when that should happen I suppose. My difficulty in dealing with this change is not that I don’t want my children or loved ones to grow but that this one nucleus where we all sought and found refuge, safety and comfort must now be disbanded.
For everything, there is a season. I will always love this place. It is the one time and place in my life that I worked to obtain, and make into something I could be proud of. It had nothing to do with the structure. I was proud to offer a place where people who loved me and who I loved were happy and comfortable to be. If nothing else should come of this experience, I would hope that it would be that those who shared my home or who enjoyed visiting it will want to provide the same for themselves and to those they love. With everything that ends, so too something new begins.
Here’s a toast to new beginnings! Here’s to the love, respect and appreciation for what was. Here’s to Bay Blossom, not to the structure itself, but for the times we had there, the accomplishment of having gotten there and for the courage to go on! Salute’!
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