Sweet, special, Drake Ave.
I jotted these thoughts down on our last night at this home. Now I've edited them a bit and finally decided it was time to actually post them.
This home and neighborhood has held so many special memories.
We moved in while I was 6 months pregnant and began getting ready for our first baby to arrive. I’d sleep and Charles would stay up building our table or the crib. After living in 350 square feet for 4 years this was a whole new experience and setting up our home was so special. Also, backstory, I lived in a different house on Drake when Charles and I met and began dating. I always loved this special street and moving back onto it was a gift.
I distinctly remember walking in the door for the first time with our brand new baby. Life was entirely new.
And then coming home as a family of four.
This home has been full of milestones, memories, moments and so much life.
7 years (almost to the day) of our family evolving, growing, stretching and learning to love in new ways.
We experienced such rich community in this neighborhood. How did we get the best people all around us? Friendship transformed the lonely days of motherhood (and still do). I found people who became my lifeline: foods and goods when someone was sick showed up, words of wisdom and kindness when parenting was defeating and joys in companionship were a regular asset of life. Multiple neighbors came together the moment they were needed when my mom was sick, passed and we had her memorial to care for us. My oldest kiddo was invited into their homes so I could nap to go to prenatal appointments. These people of proximity turned friends helped us survive the isolation days of covid. "Quarantine" became such a special time of front yard happy hour hangs, daily chats, holidays shared and more.
Life has a lot of hard and I especially without local family we really needed to people close to us in many ways. The way kids came into our home or mine into other homes during times of need still makes me teary. From both of our kids taking ambulance rides and having hospital stays, neighbors who took their own ambulance ride and needed their kiddos watched, supporting a neighbor through cancer, and many other heavy times we were able to take care of each others needs. I could go on and on.
Whether it was times of deep exhaustion in the baby years, long standing sickness, celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, many "do you have a spare lemon/cup of sugar/nebulizer" moments or long afternoons of boredom solved by sidewalk time together - these dear people kept me afloat.
This was such a special place for us to host. We did what we could with our former tiny home but this space that allowed us to host large neighborhood pancake breakfasts and meals together, ministry events, birthday parties and more is something I will always cherish. The first thing Charles built for our home was our first dining room table and the 8+ seats that could fit around that were gladly filled many times.
This home was the place we began our school journey with our oldest. I never imaged we'd do any sort of homeschool but sure enough at was our path and I am so grateful for our learning rhythms shared together in that space.
I wish I could estimate how many walks we took to our park just one block over. Some days we ended up twice (probably even three times). Countless bike rides and dog walks and let's take a lap around the block cause someone is grumpy walks. Rainy puddle jumping. We took many family walks downtown to our favorite spots for dinner or coffee, often running into people we love. Greeting neighbors and chats as they came home was daily treat. Rainier spent many days over the years “helping” pull weeds or mow our neighbors lawn (oh the patience and love from our sweet neighbors). Hours and hours were spent in our front yard swings, eating on the porch and covering our sidewalk in chalk. Many many times we'd head outside for "a few" minutes to get the wiggles out before bed only to run into one neighbor, and then another, and then another and realize we were long past our planned bedtime but enjoying the gift of great people around us.
How did we get so richly blessed by the people that surround us? The ones that make this home so hard to leave? Stand in grandparents. Babysitters. Deep friendship. Grace poured out. Time sacrificed. Celebrations shared. Grief empathized.
I had to write these thoughts out before moving; before closing out this chapter on Drake.
I'll forever be grateful.
For the waves from all the neighbors as we played out front.
The celebration from a neighbor when Rainier got on his first bike.
The hug and diffusion offered when a toddler was melting down.
Tears of all kinds shared.
Neighborhood watch check ins.
ALL of the help to get our place packed, cleaned and moved.
All the presence that has continued.
Flash forward to now. It's the end of 2024. Multiple Drake neighbors showed up to celebrate Christmas was our family. Exchanges have happened continually of things needed back and forth (including tonight at 10pm). Im so thankful were still close "enough" but even tonight Charles and I sat on our couch grieving the absence of life on Drake this Christmas season and all the ways we miss it and our dear people in the daily life.
Our sweet last dinner in our driveway:
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