“My parents are selling their house and moving to a one-bedroom flat. They’re kicking me out,” I whined to Mark a few months ago.
“Your mom and dad aren’t kicking you out,” he responded. “Besides, be happy you managed to stay there and use their address as your Belgian residency all those years. I don’t know any other 42-year-old who still lives with her parents…”
Of course, I don’t really live with my parents in Belgium anymore, but my childhood home has been a safe, familiar, and reliable haven during the last 15 years of my travels. I grew up here, made friends, played volleyball as a teenager, enjoyed long walks in nature a couple of blocks away, and happily returned a few weeks of almost every year. While never a vacation, I did soak up the attention and care I received from friends and family, eager to see me, and ready to spoil me with home-cooked meals, a car to use, and laundry services.
Goodbye, childhood home!
Initially, I didn’t plan a visit to my home country this year. Plane tickets to Europe are expensive and the beautiful summer is limited, after all. The United States has so much to offer during that season, and it is big! But, when the news about my parents’ move reached me, I immediately planned a three-week trip “home”. When I then heard they sold their house within days of being listed, my decision made even more sense. This was to be the last stay in familiar surroundings, in the company of ma and pa.
Unlike other years, my focus revolved around my close family, my childhood room, my belongings, and my past. I barely met up with friends – most of them were away on vacation in July anyway – and savored the presence of my parents, my niece and nephew, and my memories.
I stumbled across a stack of photo calendars, which I created each year for my dear oma. Every month since 2008 has a different photo of Mark and I on the page above the squares with dates and room for notes. The calendars arrived in my room, after oma passed away last year. The photos were taken all over the world and are of high quality. I decided to keep them for now.
Some of the calendars I created for my oma before she passed away
Since I was 10, I never threw out any letter, celebration notice or postcard I received. I contained them in five overflowing shoe boxes. During my recent visit, I skimmed each item; some I reread after decades. Birthday cards, the annual New Year’s wishes, encouragement during examinations, hand-written letters from friends, family, and a long-forgotten pen pal, hundreds of postcards from abroad, juicy love letters, … Oh, the memories.
Some of the envelopes had closed over the years, so it was like opening them for the first time. “Congratulations with your 19th birthday.” “Enjoy your world travels.” I was reminded of my five weeks in India in 1997 being a disaster, and that my parents had a Liesbet-related home issue they didn’t want to upset me with when I started my first year-long backpacking trip in Southeast Asia. That letter arrived poste restante (general delivery) in Bangkok, Thailand, after they’d digested most of it and fixed the problem. No internet or email back then. I wanted to read all the letters and post cards before throwing them in the recycle bin. But, that would have taken way too much time. It’s all gone now; the past has been put to rest.
I leafed through tens of photo albums of my earlier travels (most from before the digital age) and did something I haven’t done, ever: I removed the newspaper wrapping from every single souvenir I ever bought. I looked the mask, statue or other object over carefully. When I didn’t feel any emotion or forgot which country it came from, I set it aside to give away. The other pieces were wrapped more tightly to create extra room and then returned to their tubs. I also found a new home for my trusty, wall-sized world map.
The end result of days of sorting contains my past: 2 tubs of diaries (1985 – 2015), 5 tubs of photo albums (1998 – 2007). 3 tubs and a bag of souvenirs, and 1 tub with oma’s calendars and loose photographs. A major advantage of the modern age is that my photos and diaries are now stored digitally, and that most of my communication occurs via email. I rarely buy souvenirs anymore, due to lack of a house or storage unit. Despite the bittersweet and emotional times in June/July, the good news is that I found closure about my Belgian life, and a place to store my memories. My generous cousin Griet and her husband Wim cleared out a small corner on their attic for me. How awesome is that?
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July 26, 2018 at 11:25
Ah, sounds emotionally draining but closure is always good in the long run. I’m starting to stress about all the stuff we have in storage, and hope to unload a lot of it sometime in the next year or two. We need the help of the children since so much of what was saved involves them.
My children referred to my mom as ‘Oma’. I’m not sure what I’ll want to be called when I become a grandmother (eek, that thought makes me feel old. Fortunately or rather hopefully, several years away).
Glad you were able to return ‘home’ before the house sold, and find a place to store your special mementos!
July 29, 2018 at 16:26
I love closure, especially at the end of lifestyle changes or periods that didn’t go well. I remember from previous posts of yours that you manage to go through your storage unit about once a year, making progress every time. I guess at this point, the children need to get involved. 🙂 I assume they have homes where they could store their memorabilia. It’s always easier to get rid of stuff when it is really needed, than when it is helpful.
I think “Oma” sounds better than gran or granny! 🙂 Gulp, for sure…
July 26, 2018 at 11:49
Wow, the end of an era and a new beginning for your parents – I wish them all the best in their new home! So lovely to sort through all these memories and how kind of Griet and Wim you can leave some of your treasured keepsakes in their care. I cleared my last belongings out of my parents’ attic more than thirty years ago – I gave some of it to friends, most of it to a charity shop and the few things I wanted to keep came home with me in my suitcase :o) xxx
July 29, 2018 at 16:29
Thanks for the well-wishes towards my parents, Xenia. It will be a big adjustment for them after living their whole lives in a roomy, nice house. But, they get more freedom to travel and less home projects in return.
Are you still happy with the things you saved thirty years ago, when going through your own belongings? Any regrets about what you got rid of? As we get older, we always make more memories and collect different mementos.
July 30, 2018 at 03:45
I was very happy to find a good home for some of those belongings and give a lot of travel mementos and other things to the charity shop. I kept a small box with earrings and brooches which was stolen during a burglary a few years later and that was a different kind of letting go. None of it had great monetary value, they were presents from friends and family and even though the objects had gone, the love with which they had been given will always stay with me. The other things I kept were two small photo albums with pictures I took between the ages of six and nine, many of them featuring people who are no longer with us. These albums are still with me today and I am very glad I kept them ???????? xxx
July 31, 2018 at 14:25
Hurrah for charity shops, right? It’s so nice to know that our stuff will be reused instead of “rot” in a dump. Sorry to hear about that robbery, Xenia, What a shame and a horrible experience. I agree with the love and feelings that go with the things given by friends and loved ones – the deed is more important than the materials.
That’s amazing that you took photos at that young age, and that you have a photo collection of important people in your life because of it. I guess you’ve been an excellent photographer your whole life!
July 26, 2018 at 11:57
I feel both your pain and your sense of closure. I’ve been through this in an abbreviated form in my childhood home when it was sold and in drastic fashion in my own home of 26 years in Chicago. Alas, I still have a day ahead when my parents move out of the house into which they moved lots of the stuff that made the first cut 17 years ago! I, too, touched and tried to read all the letters, memorabilia, and other keepsakes stored in those crumbly boxes, but then I pitched most of them. It was soul lightening in a way although I’m waiting for the day (I’ve had a few close calls!) that I realize I threw something away that I really wanted! Glad you could get there to create some more family memories before the house was gone. (I can see why it sold quickly, by the way – very attractive!)
July 29, 2018 at 16:34
That drastic sorting through belongings in Chicago happened not too long ago, right? Or, maybe time flies so much that it has been a year or longer already? I still remember you writing about your move. I’m glad you don’t have any regrets yet about what left and what remained. I don’t think I’ll regret anything, except maybe that I should get rid of more one day.
I think most of us don’t look forward to going through our parents’ home and stuff once they are gone, for multiple reasons. At least in my parents’ case, there shouldn’t be too much left anymore, as they’re moving into a one-bedroom apartment.
July 30, 2018 at 07:14
That big dumpster rental and clean-out in Chicago was in December of 2016 and we moved to Texas in March of last year; hard for me to imagine that we’ve been here almost a year and a half now! And my parents told me a few weeks ago on my swing north that they want to leave their larger home on the southeastern coast and downsize to the summer house up north … that sounds like a job I will be not relish, but as you note, doing it now with them will make a future and final clean-out that much easier in the future. We are all pretty organized people who are not terrible hoarders, so we have it easier than some people! Hope all is good with you and Zesty and work and that you are having some fun!
July 31, 2018 at 14:29
Wow. Time does fly!! And, yes, you have a tremendous job ahead of you. Or, maybe it’s a “part-time” job, since this is step one in your parents’ downsizing movement. 🙂 Same in our family, Lexie: organized and not too much extra stuff. But, my parents will have to rent a container and get rid of the furniture that charity shops and buyers don’t want and that doesn’t fit in their one-bedroom apartment. I’m still helping a bit from abroad with online listings, but, all in all, my job has been easy. 🙂
I hope to post a few updates about us and Zesty over the coming week. In general, all is good! 🙂
July 26, 2018 at 14:48
Wow, recycling all your cards and letters must have been tough! I can’t imagine being able to do that.
July 29, 2018 at 16:36
First, I thought I was one of few people that held on to all those cards and letters, but as I mention my recycling frenzie to others, many people I know (and not only women) still have all their correspondence from their teenage years and beyond. Big was my surprise when one of my friends (the tattood guy in my post) dug out a box of letters and retrieved some of mine. 🙂
July 26, 2018 at 15:26
Oh my, Liesbet, this really tugged at my heartstrings thinking about what you were feeling! It is so hard to move on from the attachments of our homes, our cars, etc, because of the fond memories we have of them. Your family home is indeed lovely and the new folks will make it their new home to love and cherish! Glad to read you could sort through your things and keep the ones that meant the most AND keep them in Belgium! As my mom’s stay in the nursing home lengthens into more years, everyone has moved out of our family home in Lemon Grove, east of San Diego. We thought we would rent it to strangers and I would never enter it again until it would sell after my mom passes (which could be a while). We were so happy that my step-son and his wife and brand new baby girl are now living there since last October. It’s a big house with 4 BR, 3 bath, and close to a school and park, They are getting a great deal on rent since we are not allowed to make money on it (it could be considered an asset to my my mother’s estate–she’s on Medi-cal and other income streams to pay for her care). This all means that when we visit, we can still stay at the house in my old bedroom! The day we part with it forever will be hard, but I have to know that someday a family will move in and start their lives like I did when I was 10 years old. Hope your train ride back to NM was uneventful and be careful of the horrible heat in the West (107 in Sacramento this week)!
July 29, 2018 at 16:46
Hi Terri! I’m very fortunate that I managed to keep these tubs full of memories in Belgium. Frugal and basic me is annoyed that I have so much stuff left still, but the other part is grateful of course, to have found a place to store them and postpone the inevitable of having to get rid of everything one day. Unless Mark and I ever settled somewhere, of course. 🙂
I remember you telling me that your step-son moved into your mom’s house in San Diego with his family. That’s just a fantastic turn of events and incredibly wonderful that you and Hans (and the dog(s)) get to stay there when you visit. It will be tough when that option dissolves and you have to say goodbye to the wonderful memories and the childhood bedroom.
The train ride back wasn’t too bad. We only had a one-hour delay. 🙂 Mark and I are currently in the mountains of Colorado and don’t have to complain about hot weather. This morning, there was frost in the meadow and we need our comforter to sleep.
July 26, 2018 at 15:47
It’s good that you found closure about your Belgian life and can store some memories at your cousin’s. I have a few banker’s boxes of the letters and cards that I received, some travel souvenirs, and photo albums before digital age in my own place.
July 29, 2018 at 16:48
Wow, Natalie. It doesn’t sound like you have too much stuff at all that you want to hold on to. That’s amazing. The same memorabilia I still had laying around. 🙂 Going down memory lane is fun sometimes.
July 26, 2018 at 15:56
What an emotional time this must have been. It is interesting how our childhood homes have such significance for most of us, even as adults. My parents too are packing up their home right now – definitely not easy. It is not the home I grew up in though – that home was very traumatic to leave behind.
Glad you got to be there for this transition.
Peta
July 29, 2018 at 16:51
Hi Peta! I was glad to be a part of my parents’ initial transition stage.
In Mark’s case, the place his parents live in right now is not his childhood home either. It truly seems like much less emotions and memories are connected to those more recent homes of our parents. I can imagine that it was traumatic to leave your childhood home behind and how you still feel about that so many years later. I assume that home was in South Africa?
July 26, 2018 at 16:26
We’re very much alike, Liesbet. It’s hard to let go. The good thing is, even though the house is gone, the childhood memories will go with you wherever you are. I’ve got boxes of cards, letters and photos, too. I can’t seem to part with them. How nice that Griet and her husband made room for you. That makes me happy.
July 29, 2018 at 16:54
Those are wise words, Jill. Nobody can take those memories away from us. I’m sure I’ll feel a bit sad if and when I’ll pass the house again in the future.
As for your cards, letters, and photos, there surely is no reason to get rid of them, right? Unless you plan to sell your house and move into a camper any time soon. 🙂
July 26, 2018 at 18:38
Liesbet – How wonderful that everything was so perfectly preserved for you by your parents, and equally wonderful that you have some space to store your most precious memories with your cousin Some things are just meant to be kept and lingered over a few more times as the years go by.
July 29, 2018 at 17:00
Hi Linda! It’s so funny how you always have two comments show up, while others seem to lose theirs. 🙂 Thanks for leaving these comments and being persistent, despite WordPress’s shenanigans. I’m fortunate to have loved ones in my life who don’t mind storing my stuff, for sure. I feel at this point, the most important belongings are my diaries, if and when I need to sort again.
July 26, 2018 at 18:42
Your childhood home is great. I would miss that house too.
When we started to travel I stored many boxes of paper – letters, postcards, photographs, etc. in my in-law’s Florida home. Luckily they didn’t go there much when we started using the house as a home base for our sailing adventures and never saw how much junk I had crammed in their guest room closet. A couple of years ago we convinced them to sell the house since they didn’t use it any more and were only really keeping it for us. I got rid of some of the stuff I had stored – extra clothes, etc., but not the paper – all those memories. I have been spending the last few summers scanning and pitching. I have boxed up and mailed most of my memorabilia from my punk rock days to a guy who collects it. I just have a few small boxes left of stuff to left go.
It sounds like you had some great adventures in your past. Glad you have a place to store the memories.
July 29, 2018 at 17:06
That’s pretty amazing that your in-laws kept their house just for you guys! It is nice to have periods of time over the years to go through everything and sort. I kind of did that every year I went back to Belgium in the past. Until it was the last time and sort through. 🙂
It sounds like you did a terrific job with that task! Where are those remaining boxes of yours stored? In Cabbagetown with friends? Or elsewhere? At the in-law’s? Would you be able to get rid of more, or are you at the “This is it! This is what I’m keeping forever stage”? It sounds like that’s the case. And, you still have the camper, of course. 🙂
July 27, 2018 at 00:45
What a bitter/sweet time for you, Liesbet. I’m sure though that you are happy for your parents to be downsizing to something that is more manageable for them. We have made calendars of our trips for my mother-in-law. One year, when we visited her family back in Italy, we came home and made her and the family in Italy a calendar with photos of all the family. They just loved it. Your family home was lovely so I can see it would be hard for you to let go of that part of your life, even if you had only visited, you grew up there. Best wishes to your Mum and Dad for the move.
Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond
July 31, 2018 at 14:15
Personalized photo calendars are such amazing gifts. They do put smiles on the receivers’ faces and have them “see” you and think about you or the family often. I now make them for my mom and mother-in-law as well. They usually say “Oh, don’t go through all the hassle.” But, they’re always happy when they receive them by mail. 🙂
Thanks for the best wishes for my parents, Sue. It will be a big change for them, moving to a much smaller place, but they’ll get more freedom and no more house projects in return.
August 1, 2018 at 01:19
I think the calendars make lovely gifts and are personalised with your own photos which is even better. I’m sure your parents will be happy once they make the move but it will certainly be a huge change in their lives. xx
July 27, 2018 at 02:44
Memories travel with us no matter where we are in the world. As you know Liesbet 🙂 Have a fun time out in the warmth. Still rather hot over this way!
July 31, 2018 at 14:17
True about those memories, Suz. But, I have a bad memory, hence photos are important to me, as they sometimes replace my tired brains. 🙂 Yet, the things that were most important to me, will always remain within me wherever I go.
I keep hearing from my parents and aunt how hot it still is in Belgium, so I assume it’s similar in the UK. No complaints about that for us, as we are in the mountains of Colorado and need a duvet at night!
July 27, 2018 at 08:23
What you are experiencing is normal if painful. The Welsh word for this is “hiraeth,” I’m told: a homesickness for a home to which you cannot return; the nostalgia, the yearning, the grief for the lost places of your past.
Fortunately, you have lots of wonderful memorabilia. Your parents are getting older and want/need living space on one floor. I guess you’ll have to let them move on.
I experienced this when my mother’s and my aunt’s homes were sold, so I can certainly relate. It “ain’t” easy. 🙁
July 31, 2018 at 14:21
I like that there is a Welsh word for these feelings, Marian. It describes much more what we all go through at one point or another – like you with your mom and aunt – than just the plain English “homesick”.
The interesting thing about my parents is that they are not even 70 yet, but they choose to make this change now to travel more and make life easier. Many eyebrows have been raised as to their move into a one-bedroom flat and not an in-between home, but I respect their decision. 🙂 They’ll be able to visit us more often in the future…
July 27, 2018 at 15:33
I still remember my emotional response to clearing out, then selling, my parents home after they both had passed away. I was brought home from the hospital as a newborn to that house so we had many, many years together and a lot of memories built up… almost all good ones. Since I still live in the same city, I pass by the old house now and then. I love it when I see evidence of children, like toys in the yard. I can see they’ve done things to update the house and make it their own. I hope they are building a lifetime of memories there like my family did. One of these days, I might stop, knock on the door and ask if I can look around. I’m glad you were able to get back “home” one more time.
July 31, 2018 at 14:49
It sounds like we all have to go through these emotional times when our parents pass away, especially if they still lived in our childhood homes. Such a tough time, because the feelings don’t only involve the loss of our loved ones, but also the loss of the “time and place” allocated to the home. I’m so happy for you, Janis, that new life has been breathed into that particular home, and that you can witness the changes and beauty as you pass by. I think you should ring the bell one day, introduce yourself and have a polite look around! The only experience I have with something similar is when I stumbled upon the first boat Mark and I bought many years ago, and I walked over to have a look. In regards to my childhood home, my parents will still live in the same town, so it would be easy to bike or walk by one day.
July 28, 2018 at 12:07
Hi Liesbet,
I’m someone who loves to sort and pitch, so I feel great for you that you had the opportunity to spend lots of time reviewing your life in Belgium. I’m delighted for you that you were able to achieve closure.
July 31, 2018 at 14:52
Isn’t it an awesome feeling to go through things, organize and toss the stuff that has little to no (emotional) value anymore? I love it as well. It’s so liberating. But, I don’t think I can sort any more when it comes to those boxes in Belgium. 🙂
Even in our camper, with such little space and our few belongings we have left here, I am happy to keep sorting and getting rid of things. If that could ever be called a hobby, it’s mine. No, it’s more the feeling that comes with it, isn’t it? I have similar sensations when emptying the fridge. I LOVE getting rid of things, eating most everything there is to find in the “house”. And then, I love it as much to buy groceries and find a place for them all in our small cupboards and fridge again. I like both challenges almost as much.
July 28, 2018 at 15:40
Hi Liesbet
It’s tough to leave your childhood home behind. I remember when my mom and dad sold the home my brothers sister and I grew up in. They bought a home 4 hours away near my oldest brother. Mom lived in that house another 35 years.
Cleaning and clearing years of momentos is hard. Sounds like you did an awesome job of it.
Safe travels
Laura
July 31, 2018 at 14:56
Thanks, Laura. I assume it was easier to say “goodbye” to your mom’s last house than the one 35 years earlier, as you probably didn’t have as many memories attached to that one.
I’m so glad I found closure with it all in Belgium. I’ve gone through similar emotions, when we left our sailboat forever, after eight years of it being our home. The stuff we wanted to take from Tahiti to the US and keep had to fit in two checked bags each and carry ons. So, I’ve got some practice. 🙂
July 29, 2018 at 12:58
Hi Liesbet,
Wow! Your post brought back so many memories of leaving my own family home! Such a bittersweet story, and there is nothing easy about it! We sold our family home in 1995, and I left lip prints on the front door as we left for the last time. In the years since, we have been able to go back and visit the home, and the new owner even allowed me to come in and look around. This also provided a great deal of closure, as it was different than I remembered. Hugs to you, my friend. ~ Lynn
July 31, 2018 at 14:59
Hi Lynn! Bittersweet and not easy are the exact emotions in these situations. I’m sorry you had to go through that as well, but it sure sounds like it is in all of our lives at one point or another. And, maybe even more than once for some of us. It’s so awesome that you managed to return and have a peek inside. That helps with the closure, I agree, especially when the house and/or interior looks different than how you left it. Hugs back!
July 29, 2018 at 17:40
Hi Liesbet – Well, what happens when I make a comment is this: after I press “Send” and nothing happens … a red box pops up and I know I can’t send the message. So, I then copy the intended message, I leave “Reader” and head to your site and post it there. That seems to work. But sorry you are getting them as duplicates. You could suggest to your followers to go right to your site to comment going forward and see if that helps. I’ve seen this happen with a U.K. blogger as well … however, it only happens once a month when he posts his favorite photos from the last month. None of my comments “take” and I get the red box warning so I have to resort to going to his site. We tried to figure it out … he is a computer programmer and could not figure it out. That is nice that someone is storing your stuff for you – it is part of your past and when you are ready to part with it, you will know.
July 31, 2018 at 14:22
I see! There really is nothing we can do to change the WordPress glitches on our end…
July 30, 2018 at 11:11
Hi Liesbet! How interesting! After thinking of you as being so footloose and unencumbered with “stuff” or the usual attachments that the majority of us have in our homes for all these years, it is interesting to discover that you do too. Or at least you did–mostly. In some ways not only did your parents “rightsize” but so did you! I’m sure it was difficult letting go of those memories but ultimately it reminds us that we can’t take any of it with us for the “long” journey anyway. Maybe next time you’ll have time to put all of those “visual” memories into the cloud so you can be freer even more. ~Kathy
July 31, 2018 at 14:38
Getting rid of stuff is always liberating, until you get to the boxes that can’t get rightsized anymore. 🙂 I feel pretty free, since none of that stuff was with me for the last 15 years I’ve been on the road and the water. So, not quite the same as having a whole household of things.
My last boxes found a good resting place, and, if I really had to, I could get rid of all of it except the two boxes of diaries. The amount of time and energy and determination I spent creating those… I don’t even want to think about that, but I do hope to browse them again at some point when I’m retired. Maybe the photos could get digitized, if I re-shoot photos of photos, but the souvenirs would have to be donated.
July 30, 2018 at 18:25
Aw, parting is such sweet sorrow Liesbet. 🙂 I’m glad you got to go visit and say goodbye to your childhood home. I know exactly what you mean about boxes of cards and keepsakes. I have 4 shopping bags full that I’ve yet to go through and reminisce over yet. I don’t know that I can throw any of these away as I’m such a sentimental packrat LOL. Good on you! 🙂 xx
July 31, 2018 at 14:44
I thought you only put shopping articles in shopping bags, Debby! Just kidding. It’s nice to have all these keepsakes and have room to store them. And, it is nice to go through it all and reminisce as well. For me, it’s usually liberating to get rid of stuff, although, when it comes down to these last items, which have a lot of meaning, I sure hope I won’t regret tossing them all.
July 31, 2018 at 21:39
Lol on your snappy comment. It’s amazing how many uses my shopping bags get, lol. But yes, it’s so freeing when we purge. Just make sure you take photos of everything your hesitant on tossing. 🙂
August 1, 2018 at 11:07
🙂 I am.
July 31, 2018 at 18:46
No, hopefully they will fix it Liesbet … it is frustrating if you send a reply to a post or a comment and it vanishes into cyberspace on some sites. Did you contact WordPress to see if there is a hang-up somewhere that is causing the problem? They are usually very responsive if you can’t figure out something and they may have a fix right away.
August 1, 2018 at 10:58
I agree about the frustration in regards to commenting! I haven’t had the slightest moment of time to contact WordPress yet. Nothing seems to be consistent with all this stuff, and right now I have so much to catch up online that this has lower priority. I’m way behind reading people’ blogs as well. 🙁
August 1, 2018 at 03:21
My father still lives in my childhood home in Brazil, minus my mother who passed away in 2001. When I visit it takes me back to childhood, but most importantly I feel my mother’s presence there. I think my dad will live there until his last breath. Lovely post, we can all relate to how you feel ????
August 1, 2018 at 11:13
Hi Gilda! I had no idea you grew up in Brazil. How exciting! Are you going back there often? It’s not easy when our loved ones live on “the other side” of the world.
August 1, 2018 at 13:02
I’ve just started the process for myself, Liesbet, with the impending move to Portugal. I went head on for a few weeks but then came Poland, the visit to Lisa in Nottingham, and the Algarve and I’ve totally lost impetus. And lovely sunny weather isn’t conducive to sorting cupboards. 🙂 🙂 I’d have to get going if we had buyers but that hasn’t happened. My son was really upset when he saw the ‘for sale’ sign and I felt quite treacherous. 🙁 It was his childhood home. And yes, I still have postcards, diaries and photos pre-digital. Glad you had chance to say your ‘goodbyes’.
August 3, 2018 at 16:21
I was wondering how that transition is going, Jo. And, when the move would be. I guess it all depends on the sale of the house. Summers are tough to get anything accomplished, especially when the weather is so nice and sunny. You have been very busy exploring and traveling, so I can see how your “downsize momentum” has slowed a bit.
I find the days are flying like crazy once we hit the road in Zesty, and there is little time (or cell service/internet) for anything else than driving, lifestyle chores, and sightseeing (no complaints when that happens :-)).
August 1, 2018 at 20:47
It is hard to keep up Liesbet – I work from home but have been very busy at work getting ready for a big hearing today. I left work later, got here later and found myself staying up very late to keep up. Finally, I had to tell myself it is impossible to keep up and be attentive and I will try to keep up the best I can, even if I am behind. Some day when you are all caught up with everything, I wrote a post last year about going through all my treasures, more like hobbies started and never continued over the years … as usual, it was a long post.:)
https://lindaschaubblog.net/2017/09/19/tuesday-musings-29/
August 3, 2018 at 16:35
Time is precious, so we have to think hard about our priorities. The older I get, the faster time flies, I find. Have a nice and relatively quiet weekend, Laura!
August 10, 2018 at 16:02
Ah, nostalgia. I know it well. I feel considerable nostalgia for my small hometown where my mom and other relatives still live. I have many attachments to the town and valley, including the two houses I lived in as a child, my aunt’s house, now demolished, the farm in the valley that was homesteaded by my pioneer grandparents (paternal side), and all the places where I spent time (schools, friends’ houses, ski hill, etc.). Even though I moved away from there nearly 45 years ago, I visit the area every year. Of course, I also have similar nostalgic memories of the various houses and communities where I raised my children. As I wrote about last summer when we moved, some of my childhood memorabilia as well as artwork and other belongings of my (adult) children have moved with me from house to house throughout my life.
Jude
August 13, 2018 at 14:50
You’ve had an eventful childhood and moving life, Jude. I can imagine how every place retains different, yet special, memories. Nostalgia, indeed! It’s nice to still have keepsakes of all those beautiful times. Those are the kinds of personal belongings that are tough to get rid of! Im so looking forward to see some of your artwork with my real eyes. 🙂