Oct 14, 2022
House as Witness or Ode to 279 Boston Mills Road
Oct 14, 2022 – LMR
“But it’s just stuff!” some say
Technically they are right, but I submit to you that a house is more than just stuff.
17 ½ years of memories fill these walls of wood, paint and drywall
The echo of joyful times, laughter, and regular days live here.
Best days and worst days were spent here
But mostly ordinary days
In the crevices of this house’s bones our stories live.
A family was built in this structure’s familiar embrace
Amidst its unique quirks, smells and sounds
Filled with singing, trumpet, barking, music or Podcasts.
Packed with tons of family and friends with pizza
Or perhaps just one woman with her book
This house took care of us.
From a teenage boy launching out on his own
To a toddler, turned teenager, turned young man
We were protected.
From small painting projects to large scale renovations
And even basement floods
It changed to fit our needs.
This house has been a labor of love, a new project, an escape
But in the end it’s been a place that’s allowed us to reflect, learn, change and grow.
Family milestones like first days of school, holiday celebrations, and the arrival of new pets
To crushing heartbreak, crisis, and tears
Ordinary and extraordinary days happened here
And the house has seen it all.
We were sheltered here during the pandemic
When so much of the world felt uncertain
We felt safe within its walls.
People say, “if only walls could talk”
But I think they do if we listen closely.
In the quiet or in the noise
Our memories flash before us like an old movie.
I want to stop time just for a moment
And soak up all the history from our house. From my life.
In my 53 years, this is the place I’ve lived the longest so far.
The days are long, but the years are short
In the blink of an eye it is time to change, to say good-bye
It is time to move on.
Some days I’m excited to start the new adventure
Other days I’m like a resistant child, kicking and screaming
Sometimes on the same day; these feelings occur simultaneously
This is one of the hardest things I’ve had to do.
But it is time to pack up the stuff in cardboard boxes
Time to pack up the memories into special boxes in my mind
Forever with me.
It is then that I realize we need to release this house
Release it from its contract with the Ram Fam.
We’ll take it from here and start our story anew elsewhere
Feeling sad, but ever so grateful.
Thank you, good and faithful servant, 279 Boston Mills
You did your job and you did it well.
Now it’s time to be a witness for the new family
It is time to start all over again
To make space for their memories and love.