Empty house

It's a strange feeling to go through your home and notice that it's empty.  None of your clothes are hanging in the closets, the furniture is gone, the pictures have been taken off the walls, the cupboards empty.

It was a mad rush the week before we moved.  We moved in with my mother-in-law on a Sunday, and spent the rest of the following week moving things out of our house and taking things to the storage unit.  After the movers came on Tuesday, the house was pretty empty, but we still had a few random things to bring over to the storage unit.  My parents came into town for the girls' birthday, so my Dad helped make a few trips as well.  The night before we turned over the keys, Andy and I went over to the house to finish up cleaning.  We dusted the trim, cleaned the closets/walls, vacuumed everything in site, washed every nook and cranny, wiped down cupboards/drawers, etc.  It was a lot of work.  Clearly some of those cleaning practices were not in my weekly routine.  I won't even begin to tell you the dust that had accumulated behind the headboard.  Ack.  Anyways.

At about 10pm on Thursday night, we had finally finished cleaning everything.  Both cars were packed for the final trip to the storage unit, and the house was empty.  I took a final walk-through of each room, and got in the van to drive to the storage unit.  It was cold and rainy, I was tired, stressed, and just done with everything.  10,000 reasons came on the radio, and I just lost it.  I think it was an accumulation of so many emotions bottled up inside, of things changing, the unknown, and sadness.  Sad that this house would never be our home again, sad to think about all of the wonderful memories we've made in this house.  As the song played, I couldn't help but feel blessed.  The song reminded me that I would continue to praise the Lord for providing such wonderful opportunities for our family.

As I stood by the storage unit, staring at my life's belongings all in one small space, I was overwhelmed.  I knew we were ready to move on to the next phase, but I was still nervous about what was to come.  I realized that our empty house was just that- a house.  It was no longer a home, since we were no longer living there.  I thought back to a sign I had hanging on our wall that said, "What I love most about my home is who I share it with."  I was reminded that my home is the space I share with people whom I love the most.  It didn't matter that we were living in tighter living spaces for a while, it didn't matter that Golfcrest was no longer our home.  What mattered is that the people I love the most are all still together.

So, empty house.... I'll miss you.  Thank you for all of the wonderful memories you held for our growing family, and for so many life changes you saw over the past 9 years.  Thank you for being a safe place for us to raise our children, and a happy place for us.  We will miss you, but we know that you will continue to bless those who live in it, as we move on to a house that will provide the same thing for us.