Memories, and Moving On

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You know the thing about holidays that seem to have lots of chocolate around in stores, like Easter? I will buy lots and I will eat it, and likely be sick of chocolate before the holiday even gets here.

However, hopefully I'll work it all off this weekend since I'm going home to help my parents sort through my grandma's house before the new owners move in.

Wow, that's even sad to write :(

Grandma is still hanging in there and actually moved out of palliative care about a month ago. She moved into one of those assisted living kind of places, which are high on independence, still have 24 hour care, but are super costly. So unfortunately, her house had to be sold. Luckily it sold in record time, and over the asking price, so she will be comfortable and cared for.

But it's that same sense of impending loss that came over me when my parents sold my childhood home. All those memories, from the years our family lived in the house next to my grandmas will be gone, in a way, because the spaces will be filled up with all the memories and laughter and tears of other people. Other families will eat dinner together, and other kids will build snowmen in the front yard and draw on the sidewalks with chalk until their grandma gets upset at their mom for letting us draw there (what else are you supposed to do with chalk, really?)

You know how it is - another touchstone of your life isn't there where you left it anymore, and things have aged and fallen apart quicker than you could have guessed they would. And it's hard to take in, hard to participate in their destruction, but sometimes it's the only option.

The reality is that I'll probably never live in Peterborough again, my sister has her own house, and my grandma can't live on her own there anymore. Tenants are more of a hassle than it's worth for my parents, and hopefully the people who bought the place will make it a home and enjoy living there.

For me, I've got a spot set out in my dream apartment (or really, the next place we move) for one of the pieces of furniture that my grandfather made, to remember the times we spent there at this house before it was done. I chose the table and chairs - good, strong chairs, that look nice but are really hard to sit on, especially when you're occupied in a long lasting game of Monopoly or a Sunday dinner with a dessert to linger over. I want to be in that  new apartment that has space for this memory of how my Grandma's house used to look and the time I spent there, because I'm sure by the time I get there tomorrow, most of it will already be boxed up and packed away. And not to accidentally quote Dawson's Creek or anything, but I don't want to wait for my memories to be over/ fade before I can sit down on these super hard chairs in my own place, and remember.

Not to be a total downer, there should be at least some fun this weekend - my sister is dragging me and another friend of ours to see her husband's band play tomorrow night, so hopefully I can stay awake past 10pm and have a big girl drink or two. I also haven't visited Grandma at her new digs, so looking forward to that  and hoping she's up to it, as she had a bit of a fall the other day.

At any rate, I should stop eating chocolate and go pack for my trip now.

Happy Easter friends! Hope you are spending it with as many loved ones as you can :)

♥ Craftzilla