30 Days of Gratitude - Day 14

 Day 14 – November 14 – “Give thanks for your home.”

My home is something I am VERY thankful for.

This house is where I raised my sons, and where several other guys spent a big part of their childhood. There are so many memories here – both good and bad, if I’m perfectly honest. The good far outweigh the bad, though.

Aside from many years of warm, happy Christmases, there were also many fun Easters.

I cooked Easter dinner every year until about 2002.  After dinner, all the boys here hunted Easter eggs in the back yard. The plastic eggs had numbers inside them, and each number corresponded to a small gift, such as bubbles, matchbox cars, slinkys, and books. Three numbers always meant $20, $10 and $5. The year Mark was 22, his friend Josh said they were too old to hunt Easter eggs, but I said no eggs, no dinner.  He said, “Where is my basket?”

It turned out that was the last year they had the Easter eggs, but that year they had more fun with the little people toys than ever before – all of them in the yard blowing bubbles, playing whiffle ball, and feeding the birds.

My basement birthed many bands, some of which are still together and performing, and two are still practicing down there sometimes.

The house has stayed together thanks to many, many friends who have contributed talent, skill, and money. It needs work now, but I’m sure it will hold together until I’m gone.

I could have done things differently, some better, but some I did just right. My only REAL regret is selling the back lot to people who made my yard very dangerous and then built the ugliest house in the neighborhood about 50 feet from my bedroom window. That wouldn’t be so bad, except they took down my 30-year-old red maples and the flowering trees that we planted back in 1992.  I still keep the picture of those trees, because it makes me very happy.

    

But I still am very thankful for my home, and the memories it holds.