2012

While everyone is making resolutions and lists for the new year, I feel somewhat hazy from the long holiday. In full automatic pilot mode, I will begin to take down, pare down and store my holiday decor. Last year, we sold our big house in anticipation of our new "empty nest" life. Our new "grown-up" city home is a third of the size. It is more the size of the homes my husband and I grew up in. We always shared rooms, made pallets on the floor or slept on couches for sleepovers or when grandparents came to visit. But, when we started to raise our family, it was important to us for everyone to have their own space. More importantly, we wanted my husband's two young daughters to feel that it was their home, too, when they visited on the weekends.

Now, that our kids are 28, 26, 21 and 18 and off doing their thing, we are left with the boxes and boxes of childhood and parenting memories. My job now is to gauge just how precious these memories are and do we need the physical proof taking up space! Downsizing is a tremendous challenge, but it is also very zen-like. It can be so liberating purging the miscellany and holding on to what is truly important is a true lesson in this culture of having "things".

Our home has always been the gathering place; the home to host all of the holidays, the big game, the birthday parties, the showers, the home where all of the kids gathered. We realized that with selling the big house, we were giving up that privilege. It was obvious to us, that our little abode would not lend itself to big gatherings or big sleepovers.

To our kids, God bless them, not so obvious.

These past two weeks, we have not gone without having a guest or guests, of some sort for one day. And with 3 out of 4 kids over 21, can I just mention the hit my personal bar has taken?! (and when I say personal, it is...The Mr. doesn't drink. It is ALL mine.) I kept asking myself, "Where is everyone going to sleep? How are we going to fit everyone? How are they comfortable?"

Sharing rooms, pallets on the floor and couches. Just like when we were kids. It doesn't even seem to occur to them that the house is so much smaller. To them, it's still just "home".

Every night has been loud. The house filled with kids, friends, music, movies, food and laughter. And, this is what is truly important.

And, that they go back to college next week.