Black & White "ish" Wednesdays ~ Small House

I keep trying to tell myself that it's no big deal.
I mean, this place was always supposed to be temporary. A stop on the way to what was next...

Let's back up seven years. Because it was exactly seven years ago that we moved into this little rental house. We were hurting. We were in debt. We were closing doors...all sorts of doors. My husband and I had recently left behind work that we'd shared together for over two decades. We were becoming empty-nesters. And we were selling a house in a town that our kids had called home for their middle and high school years. Doors. Closing.

In fact, so many doors were closing, that we were not in any frame of mind to be looking for new doors. Seven years ago I could have told you very {very} clearly what I did not want my life to look like. But I couldn't have told you much about where I was headed or what I wanted from that proverbial next chapter.

As it turns out, this little house has given us a wonderful chapter. A rich, long, lovely chapter. The more I sort, clean out, gather and pack, the more I'm struck by how full and rich these years have been. There have been milestones celebrated here....two fiftieth birthdays, one college graduation, one wedding, the addition of a grand puppy and a thirtieth wedding anniversary. There have been holidays....when the house was full and the laughter was loud! There have been countless days and hours of crafting and chatting with some of my favorite people in the world. I started blogging from the safety of these walls. I picked up a camera again and began to walk and wander and climb... It is because of this house that I discovered my pond. My glorious Horn Pond.

"in this small house

worn from all the years

tells a thousand tales

hides forgotten tears

in this small house

we will reminisce

all the stories

inside the stone and brick"

So, I guess I should stop trying to tell myself that it's no big deal. Because here we are, seven years later. We are happy. Healthier than we've ever been. We are out of debt. And we're about to open a big-shiny-new-dreamed-of door. We've found a house to settle into. To call our own. And somewhere in between all the milestones and memories we've made in the small house, healing has taken place. Healing of the deep, soul-soothing variety.

I find that I am leaving here a very different person than when I arrived.

And that, my dear friends, is a huge deal.

"in this small house

made of brick and stone...

in this small house

together we have grown."

Michelle Featherstone

{sorry for adding a not-so-black and white photo to this week's post...as we prepare to move, my time is kind of limited...so one or two posts a week is about all i can manage...also sorry for not getting around to visit and comment...this too will change once i'm settled!}
I'm also linking up with 
Song-ography 
and
Wednesdays Around the World