A Full Year -Part 2

“Mom, Dad, we need to talk.” We knew it was that talk that grown children always need to have when their parents begin aging. About “What is the game plan when you can no longer live in this house?” We didn’t want to admit t0 the aging part, so my thought was “We’ll figure it out when we get there.” “That will be too late. Wouldn’t you rather decide for yourself than have the 2 of us decide for you?”

We couldn’t argue with that, so a couple of months later, in November of 2021, we realized that I was having increasing difficulty going up and down stairs all day. We heard of a house that was going on the market soon; we called that realtor and asked if she would show it for us. The owners still had things in there; it didn’t show well; there would be much work making it suitable. One down. For a month we looked and looked, and only one was suitable. We made an offer; someone offered more.

The house hunting was beginning to interfere with Christmas preparations, but one day John saw a new listing and said we had to go and look at this house. That afternoon as we followed the realtor into the driveway, I became excited because it was a wooded lot. As we walked up the front steps, I noticed the pretty front door with a window on each side. Walking in, I felt my mouth open as I saw the most gorgeous reddish-toned hardwood floors in the living room, and continuing into the SUNROOM. All things I’ve dreamed about – all in one house!!!!

We didn’t have to think about/talk about that house very much; we both loved it. We made an offer; it was accepted!! On January 18, 2022, we closed, and on February 1, we moved into the nicest house we’d ever lived in. It definitely is not a mansion, but it felt like one to us.

What to do about the old house? We wanted to fix it up a bit before we put on the market. Or maybe try to sell it “as is”? As you will remember from Part 1, I was trying to get well from whatever I had, and settling into a new house, going to doctors, and fixing up the old house was more than I could handle. It turned out that one of the movers loved our house, and after much conversation between John and him, we sold it to him and his family, as is. I think they moved into the nicest house they’d ever lived in; it felt like a mansion to them. WIN-WIN! I called it a God moment.

Of course I wanted to name the new house/lot. It wasn’t a real forest; we could see parts of other houses through trees, but there were trees, in their natural setting. So my idea gradually became that I needed to name the forest. The forest was christened, unceremoniously, as “The Forest of Grace and Joy.” Grace because it was by the grace of God that we found a house that was perfect for us, both practically and aesthetically. Joy because it gave me joy to be inside and to look out the many windows.

Suddenly it had been a year since the medical part of the saga began. The house is mostly fixed like we want it, and the physical recovery is continuing, slowly. I learned a few things over this year. For one thing, I learned that people are kind, very kind. Strangers rush ahead to open doors when they see a person with a walker coming. No one has ever rushed ahead to get in a restaurant before John and me. Strangers and people I barely know are quick to speak and start a conversation if the situation allows. Secondly, I’ve learned that you can’t say “thank you” too much; I try to make eye contact with the person I’m thanking; some avoid eye contact, but most smile and give an appropriate reply.

Wishing you health and a happy house!