Someone emailed me the sales listing for the first house Travis designed. He designed it specifically for me and we lived in it for 4 years. (We sold it years ago.) As I looked at the 30 pictures on the site, I was surprised by the multitude of mixed emotions running through me all at once. Not that I'm attached to the house, per se. I have no desire to move back there. But all these memories came flooding back. Little video clips of all the different people who either lived with us or lived life with us (or both) during that period of time.
Celeste (foster child) took her very first steps in the living room of that house while I knelt with open arms to swoop her up when she toddled. She would also stand holding on to the couch and try to do a dance we called "the diaper wag." She said her first words (calling me Mama) in her bedroom with that cute crib and her contagious grin. Ah, she came so far and we were honored to see such improvement while she stayed with us. Even though she's long forgotten us, we still remember her. 6 different kids learned to ride a bike down our hill. I can hear their trepidation and laughter still. "B" told part of her story for the first time in my driveway. "A" felt safe enough to finally tell someone what really happened to him. I can remember the relief on his face. Adrianne completely stole our hearts in a matter of days. I miss her so much! Bee Bee and TiTi finally had a family (us) say they would take them for respite a second time. And I loved "N" as if he were my own. The list could go on and on. What a privilege to have these experiences!
That's just the kids we had short term. Oh the memories of our biological children as well! We had invented games, like Avalanche Forest, and special hideouts and play forts within our 6 trails that we (I mean Trav) hand macheted. We first home schooled in that house, raised chickens, read together, played together, achieved so many milestones and experienced so many things that solidified us as a family unit and gave us enough resolve for the coming days.
Not all memories were easy. We had a lot of sickness and more loss in that house. But now that we have a half decade of distance from it, it's much easier to see how we grew and were pruned during that time. I'm not completely over it, nor do I have complete understanding, but it's much better on this side!!!
So thank you, current owners of our Caroline house, for putting so many pictures on your web site. Thank you to a great friend who sent the link to me. Thank you, all my kids, for letting me be your mom! Thank you so much to Trav, for loving me for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health!!!!!!! Our vows have been tested and found to be tried and true!
Forever thankful!!!
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