We all have that song that gets us every time. It stirs up emotion and rocks you to your core. Even now, the lyrics to “that song” have jumped into your head and it’s as if you hear it playing in your head. Miranda Lambert’s, “The House that Built Me,” is that song for me. Every time, about half way through, I will be singing at the top of my lungs and Rich will look over to check if I’ve choked-up yet…most times I have. It’s a little embarrassing to admit but it’s true!
It’s funny, I don’t even have one house that “built me”. My family moved five times before I was 7 and Rich and I have moved 3 times in 12 years. Yet, each of these homes have impacted me and defined who I am.
My earliest memories are from 2 years old and center around my family and the home we lived in at that time. I can still tell you the exact floor plan of that house without seeing pictures. I can tell you about sitting on the washing machine and learning to tie my shoes when I was 4. I can tell you about running to meet my parents when they arrived home from a trip and what the living room and front door looked like. Oh, and then there’s the time that my brother tied the wagon to the back of his bike and tried to use the trees as an obstacle course…you can imagine how that turned out.
In Texas, while living on 5 acres we tip-toed in the creek and climbed trees on a hot summer’s day. My brother, sister, and I helped my father install a large swimming pool in the backyard and blow insulation into the attic while my mom was away on a trip. We went to the airport to greet her looking like happy rag-a-muffins and she was horrified. I lost my first tooth while we were all gathered around the kitchen table on Christmas Eve listening to the story of Jesus’ birth. We also lived through my mother’s battle with breast cancer in that house. I vividly remember watching her do her stretches after surgery by standing against the wall in our kitchen and walking her fingers up the wall in a fan motion – it clearly hurt. I will forever be thankful that she survived and we all moved together from that house to California when I was 7.
In that house on a California hill, I again helped my dad bring my mom’s design dreams to life. He would set us up with a drill and screws and ask us to complete the lines he drew on the walls. My sister was married in the beautiful garden my mom created. I would wake in the morning and see her with her cup of coffee and looking at gardening books and magazines to gather ideas and inspiration. I went to beautiful nurseries with her to hand-select each plant and walked the hill with her to chose the pathways that best complimented the natural outline of the hill. Seeing my sister in her wedding dress and my brother-in-law watching her walk towards him down the winding paths that were lovingly created are forever etched in my mind.
My parents moved from that house after I was married and our first daughter was born. We are now making memories in their new home and Rich and I have been making memories together and with our children in each home we have created together.
As we have remodeled the homes we have lived in, I often wonder what detail of our homes our children will associate with a memory. Will it be the feel of the grass on their feet on a summer’s morning while helping to pull weeds? Or the detail of the woodwork in the dining room during holiday meals? Our oldest is now 11 and able to tell me what she remembers from our past homes. I love hearing her tell the stories of the homes where we lived and can’t wait to hear what memories endure for her and our other three children.
And today, as we stay home because of Covid-19, I can’t help but wonder what they will remember from these days… The color of the walls in the room where she learned to play chess? The wood grain in the floor as the boys put together a floor puzzle? The sun coming through the window in the afternoon as they read books or watch a movie? Or will it just be the feeling of refuge and safety that home brings? These are the days our home means the most to us. These are the days that add yet another layer to what home means to each of us. The world may feel uncertain but we are blessed with more time together to create memories that will last a lifetime!
This is why I love what we do! I know that this isn’t just another space and structure we are building or remodeling. It is a home – a place where memories are formed. Holidays, birthdays, good times and hard times happen within the walls of a home. I count it a privilege to be a part of bringing dreams into reality. I pray that each home we touch will be filled with joy and blessings for years to come. Thank you for allowing us to create spaces that will serve as the backdrop for memories that last a lifetime.
