Just. plain. weird.

I've had a few friends recently say things to me like, "I can't imagine what it's like to see your home of 20 years go down." Truth is…it's just plain weird. I think my dear friend who walks with me through life felt it more than I did. I think she felt it for me. Maybe it was too painful for me to feel. It was almost surreal.

It was a rather long process. I checked in as I was able. I really wanted to catch my front porch going down, but I missed it. It was my favorite part of my home. I believe it is what made it so pretty. I always wanted a front porch. It's what drew me to that house from the start. Many meaningful conversations were had on that porch…

A life was saved. Boo boos were kissed. The neighbors were greeted. Trick or Treaters were welcomed. Otis loved his porch. He loved looking through the posts. We looked through book bags on that porch. We kissed our kids good bye. We took lots of pictures there (first day of school, prom, wedding…). I sat on that porch for hours at a time watching my kids play. They rode their bikes toting their baby dolls.

Yes… life goes on. As my old house was going down, a fence was being put up around my new house. Now… Otis can be king of his yard. It's pretty sweet (at least from his point of view). He is still tormented from that tornado. Loud noises frighten him. Sometimes our wood floor bothers him. He is inconsistent about his fears.

We've managed to gather most of our salvageable belongings from all the good people that stored them for us. Yes… they helped us clean each item, pack it, & store it. It's like Christmas opening up all those rubber maids & finding sweet surprises.

I noticed today that our perspective is changing. Just after the tornado, every decision was painful. What to keep, what to pitch. Today, it was easy. We had new clarity. We knew what we needed, & we knew what needed to go. It was strange that it was so easy.

I'm thankful that as my old homestead went down, my HomeSweetHome, we have already settled in our new home. We love it. It actually meets our needs better now than our old one. It's sad to say good-bye to such a beautiful place. Our memories are plentiful. For the most part, they are good. It's a huge chapter of our life. It's the heart of our parenting. It's where we raised our children.

Our new home is where we will watch our grandchildren grow. We have pretty pine trees in our backyard. Our house is one level (much better for me). I love the atmosphere. I love the pretty windows & the beautiful view (so close & so pretty). I like the drive to my home. The street is lined with trees. Being close to nature gives me peace. It keeps me feeling close to My Father in Heaven.