Sometimes it seems like life never changes. Each new day is eerily like the one before. But occasionally, there is a huge change, and we know it is the beginning of a whole new chapter. There are a lot of pages in a book, but only a few chapters and you will know when you begin one.
The last kid moves out of the house. You retire. You have grandkids. You downsize. These changes are marked by graduations, weddings, births, funerals, and the signs of aging.
Moving is one of those new chapters. It is more jarring than I ever thought, a bit like pulling something up by the roots and re-planting it somewhere else in what you think will be a better place. It takes awhile before it begins to show signs of growth. (Now I have officially mixed my metaphors.)
We had some great roots in northeastern Illinois.
A home fixed up the way we wanted it with a remodeled kitchen, bathrooms, family room, and a beautiful, peaceful backyard
A location in a small bedroom town, close to a vibrant city with a spectacular waterfront, its own unique culture, and tons of festivals
A solid group of neighbors who looked after each other. Conversations regularly ensued over fences and in driveways. We have been in each other’s homes numerous times and gone out to dinner. We grew close through the years.
A good chunk of our family was about five minutes away. Family is the most important consideration. So, when they decided to move, we did too.
These blessings and many more are the roots we pulled up.
Those years witnessed the marriage of our children, the birth of a grandson, the addition of our granddaughters, the birth of five great grandchildren, as well as the death of our parents and our brothers, leaving us the last of our family of origin.
There were graduation parties from middle school, high school, colleges and universities. There were ongoing weekend games of rummy, so many shared meals, and visits from friends and family.
In twenty-seven years, we made a lot of memories.
It was a lengthy, packed chapter. A lot happened.
But it was time to say, “Goodbye”.
Now we live in the next chapter.
Is it possible that God would provide everything on our checklist for a new home? It is. The one thing we didn’t get was to have a larger yard and live further out in the country, but after caring for this yard and dealing with some infirmities, I’m glad we don’t’ have the larger lot and are near town.
We have a lot of advantages moving from a forty-nine-year-old home to one three years old. Nothing needs to be remodeled, updated, or repaired. We have never had that before.
We are in a subdivision, but it is out in the country. It takes a few miles of windy mountain roads to get here from the highway, yet it is only five minutes from town. We have the modern features of a split floor plan, a mud room, and LVP flooring throughout.
Our street is short, with only six houses. Our neighbors are mostly young. Yet, it is usually quiet.
We hated to give up our back porch at the old place which had two levels and plenty of room for a table, rocking chairs, and a hot tub. Here we have a back porch that also has two levels to accommodate those same amenities, only it is also covered and has two ceiling fans. It’s our hangout. We play games and visit there.
We are in the Cumberland Mountain foothills. At one end of our little street, you see homes stacked up the hill like stair steps. At the other end is a derelict barn that I am fond of. The homes are all nice, like suburbia, but the area has a country feel as yards are carved out of the clay and rock. If you decide to park your car or boat in your front yard, no problem.
It is different here and I will probably get into that more in the future. We moved the flatness of Illinois and an upper Midwest, Great Lakes landscape to a mountainous area, covered in forests and steeped in its own special history and culture known as Appalachia.
What stands out here is the humble graciousness of the people. They are welcoming, helpful, and ready to share their life. People are in less of a hurry. They have their stories and are happy to listen to ours.
That’s the beginning of the new chapter.
Hello.
