Moving On

A house turned into our home... and then was turned over to someone else.

Yep, we moved!

We'd been in our home for seven years and decided it was time for a change, so we sold our home at the end of Lines Lane.

I'd like to say it was no big deal, but I can't. It was a BIG deal. To my surprise, on moving day I realized just how attached I'd become to this place.

As the movers carried out the last load of boxes, I found myself standing in a big, empty house when reality finally hit.

We're really moving.

Suddenly, I felt a flood of emotions all at once.

I was excited about the new house we would soon make our home. Although our lives wouldn't change dramatically, I still felt a little anxious about the unknown. My heart ached as I thought about the ward we were leaving behind—a ward filled with people we'd grown to love. Teachers, leaders, and friends who had helped strengthen and enrich our lives and, in one way or another, made each member of our family a little better.

As I scanned the room one last time, my eyes settled on the big picture window in the family room. I walked over and looked out into the backyard—one of our very favorite places—and a smile swept across my face as memories of our family time out there came rushing back.

Sitting in a big circle on the trampoline playing UNO. Afternoon family swims. Nights spent playing basketball or volleyball on the sports court. Setting up the tent in the backyard and piling inside with our flashlights.

So many ordinary moments that, looking back, don't feel ordinary at all.

Standing there in that empty house, I realized just how much I was going to miss this place.

It had been the backdrop to seven years of our family's life. We had filled its rooms with laughter, noise, celebrations, conversations, growing children, and countless everyday moments I never knew I would someday treasure quite so much.

It was a house when we moved in.

Somewhere along the way, it became home.

And now it was time to move on and begin filling another house with memories of its own.

Before leaving, I returned one last time to my closet, a quiet little place where many prayers had been offered over the years. I knelt down and thanked my Heavenly Father for this home and for all the precious memories it had held.