It was a rainy Halloween. The last night we would spend in the house we raised our family. Everything we could pack was now in wet boxes across town in a mini storage. All of our furniture except 2 cabinets that Rick's grandfather hand crafted would be abandoned at the house along with Rick's Camaro and motorcycle because we didn't have time, money, people or resources to store and/or move them.
Oh sure, we received a lot "prayers" and "thoughts" and "well wishes", but no real hands on, real life HELP. What does the Bible say? "Faith without Works is Dead."? Yeah, thanks for the prayers....grab that box and take it to the truck....help me find a place for my kids to sleep.....bring us Subway while we pack up our lives, literally, and wonder what the hell we are going to do TOMORROW.
LOL.
I can laugh now.
No I can't.
Because up until then that is people I had surrounded myself with.
We were in this ALONE.
Because up until then that is people I had surrounded myself with.
We were in this ALONE.
As the last wet box was squeezed onto the U-Haul to make the final trip to storage, I walked around the house one last time. I looked up at the glow-in-the-dark stars plastering the Master Bedroom's ceiling....every night before falling to sleep I would say to Rick:
"Babe....look how beautiful the stars are tonight....." .
I wouldn't say that on this night.
I walked to each of the empty bedrooms my kids laughed and fought in and I thanked the walls for sheltering them, suffering through all of the scotch tape, tacks, posters, thuds from toys and friends....I looked at the stained carpet (something I complained about A LOT) and cried. It was ugly. It was mine. Deep in it's fibers was my family's life. I closed the doors and walked down the hall to where I recorded the kids height each year as they grew with a #2 pencil.....where they ever that small?
My hand stayed on that wall a long time....I closed my eyes and tried to remember every holiday, every graduation, every meal, every joke, every fight, every giggle under that roof.....15 years....
Finally my hand slid away. I walked out the door and never looked back.
I wouldn't say that on this night.
I walked to each of the empty bedrooms my kids laughed and fought in and I thanked the walls for sheltering them, suffering through all of the scotch tape, tacks, posters, thuds from toys and friends....I looked at the stained carpet (something I complained about A LOT) and cried. It was ugly. It was mine. Deep in it's fibers was my family's life. I closed the doors and walked down the hall to where I recorded the kids height each year as they grew with a #2 pencil.....where they ever that small?
My hand stayed on that wall a long time....I closed my eyes and tried to remember every holiday, every graduation, every meal, every joke, every fight, every giggle under that roof.....15 years....
Finally my hand slid away. I walked out the door and never looked back.
OH mu gosh! I wasnt ready for that Gina. My heart is crushed. You always kepts a smile and made us laugh on our team calls ever since i can remember. Im sorry I couldnt be there to help you. This is sad :(
ReplyDelete