So This Is Where The Long Journey Lead us............Today!

Update on the last few days:.....Thursday December 10th we closed on our little house on Winnie Street. The beloved little house no longer belonged to us, but to a new family. There was not much time for crying, although there were tears shed, but we had to get busy with a plan to get our stuff moved from our home to "some place" soon. That morning, we were told from the closing on our new house would not be happening until this morning December 14th and we have to be totally gone from our house by December 15th. We were totally panicked at what to do. Graciously, the home owner of our new house with the prodding from his wife no doubt allowed us to move our belongings into the garage and shed of the new house, just not in the house itself until today.

So that is what we have been doing ever since...moving...load after load! My brother and my niece and her boyfriend helped with all the major things, and heavy stuff, thanks be to them, they were life savers. We should finish up today, and in the morning move our bed and the dogs after we clean one last time. I spend one whole afternoon patching nail holes and repainting every room where it needed to be touched up. I can not tell you how many people told me I was nuts to do that, it was not something I needed to do. I just said, yes it is and I did it. That is how I do things, I would expect someone to do that for me, even if they wouldn't, so I certainly expect no less of myself. We are almost to the closing of the door one last time, it is still a hard thought to conceive, but I'm feeling better about it.

The story for today is one I never expected to tell. It comes from the unexpected and a request that every one I spoke with thought it was a little odd. In truth, it was the medicine my heart needed to heal a little quicker from all of this.

The new homeowners in the contract, requested a meeting with us and a walk through of the house when they got the keys. It was to be scheduled before we were totally moved out. So many people had told me they had not heard of that and it was a bit odd, I don't know if it common or not, but we had to agree to it none the less. On Thursday, after they signed the papers at closing, their Realtor had called our Realtor and said how excited they were and wanted to drive from Southlake to see the house, and unfortunately we were not home. We had left earlier in the day with a truck full and were unloading a truck at our new house full of boxes. I felt bad we were not there, but the lady called and we scheduled for Sunday afternoon instead. She told me how excited they were and they wanted to know how to care for the chickens. I got off the phone and felt a huge dread come over me, as I did not know how I would make it through that meeting not in a huge heap of tears.

Sunday afternoon, they came like scheduled. When I opened the front door, I just took a deep breath and greeted them and said, "Welcome to you new home!"

They are a sweet couple, maybe our age or a little older. Hard working, and thrilled to have our home. At first, it was a little awkward for us and them as well, because the silence for a few seconds was deafening...but I am usually not lack for words, so I just had to start blabbering like a fool at first to get the ice broken. I was amazed at the things they were most concerned with at the house. The wanted to know first thing, how to work the wood Stove. The told us how much the loved it and asked all kinds of questions. We took them room by room and they told us what the loved in each. The loved the bathroom and when I asked if they wanted me to leave the shower curtain they were thrilled, as it matches that bathroom perfectly. The loved the barn door closet doors in the bedroom and really love the master bath. I told them we made the vanity in the bathroom and where the wood had come from and we did that with our friend who is a carpenter. I could tell they loved it as much as we do. They wanted to know if I was taking the curtains in the house, which I was not as our Realtor told us we had to leave them. I guess they did not know that and was so happy as they said the loved the ones in the kitchen so much. I told them I had made them and they said they felt I was a crafty person.

The lady then told me how she had taken pictures of everything in my house when they were there at the inspection. She said she thought it was beautiful and was trying to find the things like we had as she wanted to make their home the same. She asked about a few things specifically and where I had gotten them, one being the iron decor piece that was behind the fireplace. She said she absolutely loved that and hoped that they could find one like it. I thought to myself, it was not likely they would because I had purchased that so many years ago. As you can imagine, the iron piece is now hanging back where it belongs...I went to the new house last evening and brought it back and hung it up behind the fireplace....I guess it was meant to stay because I honestly didn't know where I was even going to put it at the new house anyway. It will be there on Tuesday when they walk into their new house and will be a surprise.

I asked them if they wanted the sofa and the television stand. I could not believe the look on their faces when I asked them that. Our sofa is blue leather and she told me she had been looking for weeks for a sofa like it. She said they loved it and wanted one exactly like the one we had. She reminded me how they wanted to have things like I had in my home. We gave them those things and they were beyond thrilled. In all my years I don't believe any one has paid me a greater compliment than these people did on Sunday. They had been spending weeks since they signed the papers on this house looking for things like I had as she thought it was beautiful. I left them a picture I had on the wall and she asked where it was hanging, and said it would go back where it was originally. I could tell they were so excited and thrilled to have chosen our home.

The chickens and the coops were where we spent a lot of time. We went out there and I introduced them to all the chickens, explained how I take care of them, the food, bedding and stressed how spoiled they were. They wanted to know in detail how I have taken care of them and what they needed to do, and where to purchase what they needed. I have already purchased the bedding and food for at least a month, so they are in good shape there. The turning point from dread to knowing I had made the right choice in leaving the chickens was when she wanted to hold Rosie and her husband wanted to take a picture. I gathered the eggs that were in the egg box and in one hand she had Rosie and the other the eggs...It was really a sweet moment! They were beyond thrilled when I explained what color eggs the hens laid and they fell in love with my beautiful Benny as well. The chickens were a bit skiddish of new people, but I told then not to worry, they will get used to them and warm up to them soon. They are going to open the coops to the rest of the back yard where we kept our big dogs and they will have free range over all of that area. The chickens and Benny will be very happy at that and I felt at peace in my heart that I had made the right decisions no matter how hard it was and still is. It really is what will be best for them in the long run.

I told them about the plants in the yard and what flowers come back year after year, I showed her a photo of my beautiful wisteria in the front yard and how it blooms the most beautiful blooms in the spring. She was in awe that that the beauty to come in the springtime was in her yard and could not wait to see it bloom in the spring. We told them we were leaving the bird bath and why we decided to do so. We told them about the owls that come in the summer time for water and we wanted to leave it as they come year after year. They were thrilled and eager to see them next summer.

From what they told us, we believe this is their first home and I believe they have made huge sacrifices to be able to purchase it. They are beyond proud and excited and I know in my heart they are going to take care of our home as well as we have. We told them about all the great neighbors and they were glad to hear the neighbors were going to be good ones. They can not wait to start their lives here and it showed in every way.

The little house on Winnie Street, in the eyes of the new owners might as well have been a mansion in the Hollywood hills....because clearly, to them that is exactly what it is. I am so glad I did not listen to any one else and I went with what I knew to be right and that was to make sure when we close the door, this little old house is shining like a new penny for the new family. In case you are wondering if I made it through the meeting without shedding a single tear, I am happy to report I was able to do that, how I don't know, but I did. Now after I shut the front door.....well, that is a different story...but I held it together when I needed to.

There are still a whirl of emotions this morning, and I am sure there will be tears flowing before end of day tomorrow, but I think the meeting was not scheduled for the new home owners, but for me to find peace and comfort leaving a place that is so dear to my heart in the hands of someone else.

You can tell how I talk about our home that I feel it is a special place. Let me tell you how wonderful the feeling is when friends confirm that for you. Thursday evening, after we had moved all day, we got home to find three of my husband's lifelong friends camped out on the front porch. Two of these special friends had lived with my husband back in the bachelor days of their lives. They had come by one last time for one last solute with a beer or two...or three.....ahem. They talked about old times, old friends, and memories and how they had grown up in this little house. What a special gift these three men gave my husband and myself. There truly are no words to describe it. It's in the confirmation that others found the place dear to your heart to be a special place as in their lives too.

Yes, it has been an emotional roller coaster this journey has taken me on. There have been times of second thoughts, dread, and much sadness to leave it all behind. But likewise.....I am finally to the point of excitement in what is to come. Today...we start a new chapter in our lives and one that we are both excited about! I am thankful for the new things that are to come and in the peace in leaving our lifelong home. It all is official today.....we start a new journey and the next chapter in our lives while carrying the cherished memories of the growing years of our life with us.