Homeward Bound

And every stranger's face I see reminds me that I long to be

Homeward bound, I wish I was homeward bound

Home, where my thoughts escape, at home, where my music's playin'
Home, where my love lies waitin' silently for me
- Paul Simon

I have been thinking about the word HOME today. My dad arrived back to Seattle from Bountiful late last night with his two sisters after being in his family home with his siblings going through 80+ years of his parents collections. They were together, all 9 of them, in their deceased parents home one last time before it sells. I was driving and thinking about how emotional and significant that experience must have been for all of them. Those walls, the kitchen table, the carpet, and the orange and brown wall paper all hold inside of them millions of memories of their lives together. After all those years, this was the LAST time those walls would hold all of them together. Crazy the time and space of 121 East 1700 South's history with the White family is coming to an end. How did that happen? How has life already passed for my grandma and grandpa? You know what I think of you, Time.

As I was getting teary about this experience I was actually driving to my parents house in Kenmore. We've lived in four wonderful houses in the years I have been alive. Each hold such sacred memories of our history as a family and I am sentimental and get nostalgic about each one of them. The common denominator in all those homes is that the feeling is the same when you walk in the door and sit and converse in the space. Love, acceptance, and joy spill from the walls. How lucky I am to have grown up in that energy.

Then tonight after some back and forth and back again, we heard that we got mutual acceptance on a house we made an offer on in Bothell. It is a true Christmas miracle that Scott and I agreed on a home. I thought it would never happen. This is a big accomplishment in our marriage so we are celebrating a huge victory. (Yes, the envelope is still sealed!). If all goes well with the inspection and closing process this means we are going to be settling into our first house as Heffernans. This idea of creating a home of love and safety, just like my grandparents and parents created, is close to my heart tonight.

What are the magic ingredients?
What needs to happen to make sure we create a home that our children and their friends want to hang out and feel comfortable to be themselves?
Lots of food?
Extra pillows and blankets?
Ears that listen?
Open hearts?

So yes, we are on our way to officially entering the middle class and adulthood where we will discuss wall colors, and sewage problems, and will probably get in fights about who mowed the lawn last.

Hold on tight, Scotty. Time to make a home for ourselves.


P.S. Our agent has been AMAZING. Organized, informative, knowledgable, flexible, and most importantly not pushy. You should use her if you are in the home finding/selling business. You will not be disappointed.