Stories of 1603

Moving is bittersweet.



1603 was the first house I have ever bought and quickly became my home.



It was the house in which I spent my first years as a pastor



    the space in which I rejoiced and cried in my first years as a pastor



It was the house in which Dakota grew to full size



    it is the house in which she hid many a shoe, played in the bath tub, and took many a nap



It is this kitchen where my husband asked my parents to marry me (with my father in his boxers)



It is the kitchen where my brother and husband learned to tile a back splash



It is in this yard where I learned how to keep a dog from digging



       to make the earth produce fruits and veggies



       to tend the grass



       to grow beautiful flowers



       to take naps in the shade



       to dig up overgrown bushes



It is in the master bedroom where my brother, mother, and I learned about texturing walls (uffdah)



It is in the front room where I was lost in many a good book



It is in the bathroom where I dared to put color on my walls after years of institutional living



It is in the kitchen where we learned about replacing counter tops and painting cupboards



It is in the living room where I learned about hosting family and friends



It is in the kitchen where I learned new recipes



       broke bread with many a person



It is in the loft space that I sewed my first quilt by myself



It is the front threshold I crossed for many a long run



It is this small hole in the fence that my now 60lb dog used to be able to squeeze through



It is in this bedroom where I found my rest at night



It is in these bedrooms where I was able to offer rest to the weary



It is in this house that I learned the joys (and woes) of home ownership



It is in this house where my husband and I spent our first six months of married life (almost to the day)



Moving is bittersweet











My prayer is for its new owners, may their days be filled with beautiful memories, may the house be good to them and not have many problems. May the house be warm in the winter and cool in the summer. May they always find it to be a sanctuary and a safe place to be. May they welcome many a guest to their table and extend hospitality to all that they meet. May they have many a good year in 1603 and may she be as good to them as she was to me.