Bittersweet Thoughts of Gratitude

I remember vividly the first night we spent in our house. 

We were first time home owners.

And we were giddy. 

As we lay on the floor in our bedroom looking up at the ceiling I remember Scott commenting on the ceiling fan. “Look at that ceiling fan!  We own it!”  I on the other hand couldn’t get my eyes of the red blinking light from the smoke detector…. wondering how would I fall asleep with it constantly blinking. 

Funny, how 9 years later I don’t notice that blinking light at all.

I recall our first morning here.  It was the first day of March and yet we’d been hit with a rare dusting of snow.  Not enough to cause any problems for move in day the next day, but enough to blanket the trees in our back yard with that beautiful, thick, covering of white.  As I looked out our window, it was one of those moments I knew I’d want to tuck away and savor…

This house has been good to us.  Just like we hoped and dreamed when we moved in, it was the house where we began our family.

We moved here  just 3 months shy of our 2 year anniversary… some might have called us still honey mooners.  We were 2 people in love dreaming of our future… of babies and diapers, of puppies and bunk beds and swing sets. 

And tomorrow we leave here, 2 people in love, with our beloved circus trailing behind us. 

I am excited about our new house.  Lord willing, it’s the house the kids will recall as the one they lived their childhood in.   And that’s what sold us on the house… the huge yard for the kids to run and play kick ball in, the cul de sac to ride their bikes, privacy to sit on the back deck and watch them in their adventures.  It has all the elements we’ve dreamed of for our children. 

But, as I sit here, this last night in our first home, I feel like I am standing on the cusp of a big change.  Leaving behind their infancy with the classic pooh nursery.  The new house won’t need a crib or even a baby gate.    This time as I close my eyes and ponder the future in my new home, I can’t help but envision prom pictures on the front stoop and graduation parties on the back deck. 

As I say goodbye to this house tonight, I am thankful.  So, very thankful for all the Lord has blessed us with here.  Thankful for the sweet and precious memories we’ve made here.  And thankful for the memories yet to be made at our new house.  The Lord has been good to us.