Just a few imperfections

Some may look at your appearance and see wear and tear, a few dings in the woodwork, a faded exterior and stains on the carpet that can never be removed. There was a time that I agreed. However, in preparation for this move, I have come to cherish those imperfections.

I look at the rust stain on the front porch and remember the first summer we lived here and I accidentally left the water running all night! We were invited over to our neighbors for a chat and I had forgotten to turn the water off. The stain was never cleaned up.

I walk through the garage door into the laundry room where the walls are scuffed and I think about the many times I kicked off my shoes there, in relief that I was finally home. Those scuff marks got bigger and darker as the children got older and now on any given day, shoes can be kicked against that wall at least 10 times or more. I stood in that laundry room almost 8 years ago and told Matt that he was going to be a Daddy for the first time, only because I couldn’t wait for him to get through the door. He heard two more times, that same news, while I was standing in that exact place.

There are a few cracks in our kitchen tile. One of them is from moving out the refrigerator over and over again to find lost ABC magnets or to pull out candy shoved under there by Gabe. There is a crack by the sink where I dropped the iron, after steaming a bridesmaid dress for my friend’s wedding. She now has 2 boys of her own and a little girl on the way.

There is a stain on the living room floor where we spilled liquid Zantac while trying to give it to Nate for the first time. He was a sick little boy who threw up every time he ate and seeing that stain reminds me of how he was healed.

There are countless dings on the banister and the woodwork at the bottom of the stairs. I can’t remember how many times toys were dropped from the landing at the top of the staircase and how many times I threatened to throw those toys in the trash if they were dropped again.

There are a few places on the walls in the kids’ rooms where I’ve tried to remove marker, crayon, and I think, a few boogers. I won’t tell the new owners where those were! I’ve rocked and held all 3 of our kids, countless times, in those bedrooms because of sickness, bad dreams, or because of a loud storm. I’ve prayed with and for all three of them more times than I can count within those walls. I was sitting on the floor in Gabe’s room, at the time, with each of them on my lap, reading a story about 2 years ago. We were finishing up and Nate asked to pray for our friend Erin who just found out she was expecting again. He then prayed that night for a baby sister…and 9 months later she was here!

There is a dying rose plant in our front yard that’s been struggling to survive for a few years now. I don’t have the heart to dig it up because it was a gift from a good friend when Matt’s grandfather died in 2005. The more I look around the yard I remember the MANY hours that Matt and I have spent mulching, trimming and pruning the bushes and plants around the house. There have been many laughs, tears and even sunburns because of our landscape. Matt has taken away my privileges to use the electric trimmers due to the number of extension cords I’ve cut through.

We were only 23 when we bought the house. At the time, it was supposed to be a “beginner home,” in which we’d live for 3 – 5 years so that we could save up some money and move on. We imagined making many memories, having children and beginning our family in this home, which we did. Although I’m excited to start this new venture together and I’m ready to move on, I’m a little sad to be leaving this place.

The new homeowners the best house on Carriage Lane (in my opinion) are about to get married and start their life together. Luckily, they looked past the minor imperfections of the home and saw a future, just like we did almost a decade ago. My hope is that they get exactly what they imagine out of this home. We did.