My Mother's House

My mother's house went up for sale today.  The real estate sign in the yard proclaims to all the passing of an era.  It has evoked a deep well of emotions in me and my sisters.  The following was written by  my middle sister and is posted here with permission.

My Dearest Sisters,

As I was looking at the listing of the house several emotions came to the surface; relief and a profound sadness. Even though it is just a house it has been so much more to all of us for the last forty years. We have grown into teenagers, explored what it means to be us, fallen in love with our first loves, celebrated marriages , births and most precious, the passing of our  beloved  parents. Yes it is just a house. But it has always been our safe haven. When Mom and Dad were there, we knew we could always go home and be loved and protected when everything else seemed to be wrong. It was always ok and nothing could touch us there. It has been our connection and gathering space , a space that has truly  been our space .

Along with sadness , I am scared of not having this place of refuge in my life. I feel as if I have been set adrift in this world with no grounding space to which I can returned for rest and healing. Even though Mom and Dad are not there anymore, I still feel them most intensely in that space. The memories of good and bad and all that connects us. All of our common history seems to to be held in that space. Yes, it is just a house, but it so much more. I feel as if I am witnessing another passing of something precious and special in our lives. I pray some other family can some in and know the peace and security and the specialness of this place and enjoy all of the wonderful energy it provides. And I pray that we can all keep that connection going without our special place. I love you both with all my heart and am truly blessed to have you as my sisters.

Each of us has those places in our lives which hold us and our memories and ground us in ourselves.  They help us remember who we are in the midst of all our change and growth.  When the primary touchstones of lives are gone we are invited to let them go with grace.  If we remain open, new ones will enter our lives bringing with them a deeper sense of who we are and who we are becoming.  My sisters and I are waiting to see what comes next