Moving has so many facets.  There’s the hard work–sorting, packing, tossing–made even harder when you do it one-armed and not lifting anything over five pounds.  There’s the organizing–moving sale, arranging charity pick up after sale, junk haul away, and movers to bring what is left to storage unit.  Making sure there is enough space in storage unit!  But the most prominent part of moving for me has been the memories.  

Cue Barbra Streisand’s song ‘Memories‘. 

I remember moving into what felt like a mansion almost 23 years ago, with a two-year old and a twelve-year-old in tow.  I remember Ryan ‘swimming’ in my jacuzzi tub before our pool was installed.  I also remember waking up almost every night seeing him standing at our bedroom door, all his blankets in tow, asking if he could crawl in bed with us.  He always looked like he was carrying a pile of laundry!  I remember bringing Ryan to his bathroom and telling him which sink was his.  He looked in wonderment and said, “Oh Mommy!  I never thought I would ever own my own sink!”  I remember our house being filled with children from the neighborhood almost daily because that is where they all wanted to be.  I liked that.  I remember having ‘home church’ due to an ice storm closing down most of Atlanta one Sunday and Ryan, four years old at the time, being thrilled to get to serve us the Lord’s Supper.  He was very serious and somber.  His prayer for the cup was “Dear Lord, please help us not spill this grape juice on the carpet.  In Jesus’ name, Amen”.  I remember listening with pride as both boys played their guitars a little too loudly.  But both played so well!  I remember watching Jonathan and Ryan play pool hockey.  They would both float around on blow up rings, tubing style, and take a beach ball and hit it with pool noodles, those foam cylinders you can buy at any drugstore.  One of them would have to make the ball hit the diving board, the other had to hit the handrail at the shallow end.  There was so much laughter!  I remember Christmas mornings, coming downstairs to see what Santa left.  Jonathan was more excited than Ryan, and had a much harder time letting go of Santa!  I remember long, late night talks with Jonathan.  He wasn’t a big sharer…..unless it was after midnight.  Then, all I would do was smile and nod as he spilled his guts.  One night, I remember him stopping mid sentence about an hour into one of our ‘talks’, and he said “Mom!  How do you do that?!  You got me to tell you EVERYthing”!  “Oh Hon”, I said.  “I just have to wait until I can barely keep my eyes open.”  I remember sitting in the middle of the upstairs hallway with Ryan, talking for over two hours about a new girl he had met, health issues, college, etc.  I remember the boys getting ready for their proms….and their wedding days.  I remember…..

As this chapter of my life truly comes to a close, it is with bittersweet emotions that I will leave my home for the last time on May 13th.  As Jonathan said, “Mom, it’s just a house.  We are all moving forward in life….and you will still have your memories.” He is so wise sometimes!

The new owners have already written me a note, telling me how much they love the house and are looking forward to raising their seven-year old son and one year old daughter there.  It makes me happy to know new memories will be made in the home I loved so much!