Saying Goodbye, the Balusters.

Dear Dung, (my daughters blog is Dear Dungarees, sooooo….) 

OK, maybe that’s not a good start, I will call my Blog: 

Dear Pink Overalls, 

Dear Overalls with Rhinestones, 

Dear Goat Girl, 

Nope! 

Dear Denims, 

If you are a follower of Expedition Overalls you have read my Trisha’s Blogs on our adventure. I will be adding my own Blogging from time to time. I tend to procrastinate so this is a Blog that should have happened the day after cleaning and locking up my “Dream Home” for the last time. 

Packing up 15 years worth of really good “stuff” we gathered for our home was REALLY hard work. I couldn’t have done it without my sister Kathleen and brother-in-law Rick. (and son Patrick, plus friends Tom and Chuck) They are expert movers and just didn’t stop moving the whole week. The last bit of the journey to clean out the home, and get it ready for the new owners was something that Tony and I had to do alone. For me it was cathartic, a way of saying goodbye to an old dream and getting ready for the new dream. 

My old home, as I shall call it now, had an amazing staircase. The beautiful wood is Brazilian Cherry and it is just the most lovely floor I could have imagined! The staircase was a favorite playing spot for all our grandchildren that still were young enough to enjoy their magic. The staircase also was a beautiful backdrop for two wedding ceremonies, the last one was for our Granddaughter Hannah. Saying goodbye to the staircase was the hardest part for me. While mopping the stairs I noticed how dirty the balusters were on a few. It hit me like a ton of bricks...these were the balusters little, dirty, precious, sticky hands had clung to as our grand babies smiled down at us. I will always see their cute little faces peeking between the balusters in my memories.

Tears are good, these were not sad tears, these were “how blessed we are” tears. Saying goodbye one room at a time, laying on the living room floor holding hands with my boyfriend, and praying a blessing over our home for the new owners was a grand goodbye. 

I have had almost 2 weeks to recover from my packing and cleaning, I feel almost normal again! The new adventure is ahead as well as new dreams to dream. I will leave this Blog about my goodbyes with this C.S. Lewis quote: 

“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” 

Diane (also known as Ma)

I will always remember their chubby hands wrapped around the balusters.

One chapter closed. Many more to come.