Closing Time

Dear House,

You may have noticed that life on Ember Court has been crazy for the past few months, what with us leaving you every weekend to visit another house (the scandal!) and then abruptly packing up most of our stuff and leaving you all alone. We’ve been back to visit the last few weekends to remove the rest of our junk and get you cleaned to a shine, but now our time together is at an end.

It may seem silly to some that I’m writing a letter to what is essentially a pile of bricks and drywall, carpet and tiles. But you feel like so much more than that to me. You were the second home that John and I purchased, but the first one that we poured our blood, sweat, and tears into. During our time together, we learned how to plant a beautiful landscape around you, how to paint your rooms like professionals, and how to hire real pros for the projects we were too clueless to tackle. It was within your walls that some of the most wonderful and amazing moments in our lives took place – learning we were pregnant with each of our girls, going into labor both times, and finally bringing our babies home to you. For eight years you kept us safe from harm and warm/cool (and I’m giving you a pass on my sauna-like bonus room office).

I will never forget sitting in your empty shell eight years ago and marveling at your size. Imagining how we would try to decorate and furnish your rooms and sure that we’d never fill all the space. Now, after more than a month spent moving the things we accumulated that filled your every nook and cranny, your empty space seems so much smaller. Maybe it’s because I know just how much stuff a family of four can require, or maybe it’s because we filled your space with so many wonderful memories.

I am very happy to report that you will soon be home to a new family, a family that also happens to have a little girl to run through your hallways and fill your rooms with laughter. I hope they will love and care for you as we did and that you will, in turn, take good care of them.

Thank you for sheltering my precious family. You will always hold a special place in my heart.

Love,
Jennifer