Travelling Through The House

Dedicated to My Family

                This was a family home, far more than a house to a family.  

 I walked through the corridors feeling the history.  Happiness, sadness, beginnings and endings; all embraced with tenderness, love and unwavering dedication for its custodians.

                The doorframes all etched the growth lines of the children who once lived here.  The pantry displays an etching of heart’s containing initials of possibly parents, grandparents and so on.

                The wooden floors, faded by the sun define the markings of where the kitchen table once gathered the family for dinners and celebrations.  Recipes dating back to the 40’s were found, forgotten and left behind, lying on the shelves of the pantry.  Opening the doors to the kitchen cupboards a fleeting scent of the family dinners quickly passes by.  Outlines of water rings on the floor tell stories of the many family pets that have walked through these corridors.

                Photographs lying in a drawer, displayed in black and white, show the ancestors now long gone. Ranging from infants to the greatly aged, all are moments frozen in time of this grand family’s pageantry.  Their love, joy, intimacy and sincerity; this unpretentious structure filled with the warmth and character of this family became a home and their castle.

                The walls weathered, yet still warm to your touch.  The floors displayed the rings of age notched from the pine trees milled from the surrounding forests. 

                Each of the bedrooms silently held in trust the tales of the many generations that found comfort within their walls.  These rooms relished in anticipation of the spring breezes and sun rays that would gracefully zigzag through the rooms.  The shadow of blue jay’s resting on a window ledge danced over the floors, warm from the sun. The chirping of the chipmunks on the lawns brought you the knowledge that they again wait for gifts from the kitchen of this home. The living room walls still thriving with family dreams, hopes and wishes for all their tomorrows.  Taking a seat on the hearth of the grand stone fireplace you are wrapped in the understanding and wisdom that was shared with all the previous generations that sat in this room, gaining the knowledge for their tomorrows. 

                Friends and relatives would gather and celebrate their joys and share their losses and fears. Yet always, when it was time to go, they would be bursting with spirit and strength.

With pride, grandparents share the wisdom and character found within the structure of this home.  The vast porch displayed with pride worn floor boards where rocking chairs have eased the pain from scratches, heartbreak and fear.

                This home embraced and stood resolute over generations of a family filled with love, teaching spirit, value and strength.