If These Walls Could Talk...
As many of you know we just sold and moved from our home last week. Here is the letter that I wrote to the owners as the sun rises on their new journey and sets on our time in that place.
Dear New Homeowners,
Turning the keys to the house over to you was a difficult
thing to do in many ways, because if the walls could talk they would have many
stories to tell with emotions that run the gamut.
When we bought the house almost ten years ago, we thought we
would only be there a short time, in fact we really only bought it because we
needed a place to live that would allow us to have our dog and if we rented in
the neighborhood the HOA would not allow it. But even so, I prayed that the
house would become a home, a place of rest and refuge for people who needed a
break from the stresses of life, a place they could come and relax even if just
for a few days. And boy did God answer those prayers. I can’t even begin to
count the number of people who have visited our home, some only once and others
year after year for days, weeks or even months.
The house is not perfect, because it has been lived in and
enjoyed. In fact there were things that I thought we would change immediately,
like the towel racks in the bathroom, but we never did. Even with its
imperfections it is a great home.
There were things that we changed in the beginning. When we
moved in the basement was not finished, so we added the bedroom, living area, bathroom
and storage. It quickly became what I laughingly called the “home for wayward
children” not because the young adults who lived there were rebellious, they
just didn’t know what they wanted to do with life and thought it might be
helpful to move to Colorado for a while to figure it out. By the way, all of
them have moved on to become successful as a lawyer, a banker, a paramedic, a founder of a non-profit and even the single
mom and her child are thriving and able to live independently.
We have entertained the famous, including multiple authors
and ministry leaders, but most were just plain, ordinary people. We have housed
the sick, recuperating from cardiac arrest, knee surgery and shoulder surgery
utilizing the bedroom on the main level as the “sick room.” We have welcomed those
in trouble, whether in their personal life, their marriages, or even a brush
with the law. We have assisted with match-making and seen families expand,
including our own.
There were times when every bed in all five bedrooms were
occupied as well as the sofas and the even the floor making it one big slumber
party. One of my favorite moments was the night before my daughter’s wedding when
my bed was filled with bodies of family and friends late into the night, reminiscing
with laughter and tears. Many came as strangers just visiting with someone
else, but came back as friends for many years.
The visitors you have may not just be in the form of humans, but we have had bears, moose, foxes and the daily visits from the deer to lop off the flowers just as they were starting to bloom.
So many wonderful moments have been shared with our family
in that home. At holidays we entertained with small intimate meals around the
table or with our extended family of friends in the Valley using multiple
tables to accommodate those who didn’t have another place to go for Christmas,
Thanksgiving, Easter or other holidays. The summer visits from the
grandchildren were always special times, going on Indian hunts along the berm,
learning to ride bikes in the cul de sac, having the tooth fairy visit and outdoor
barbecues with the neighborhood gang.
Yes, if the walls could talk they would have many stories to
tell, but now it is your turn to make the memories. Again I pray over that
house this time for you and your family. May it become a home of great joy and
blessing. May it be filled with laughter and if there are tears, may they be
few. I pray that the children raised there will grow up strong, healthy and
productive and that your marriage will be filled with love, faithfulness and
forgiveness. I pray that it will continue to be a place of rest and refreshment
for you and others that will visit there.
The prayers that I prayed when we moved in were answered
above and beyond what I could have ever imagined and I know yours will be too.
God bless you.
Psalm 127:1a Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in
vain who build it.
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