Living room furniture, accessories and artwork were transported from old home (left) to new apartment (right)
example, the psychologist chair I
used in my home office for many
years when seeing patients is now
adorning our living room, creating
my favorite reading space. The furniture,
accessories and artwork we
liked came along.
Just before moving, my daughter
initiated a “Goodbye to the House”
ceremony. With our children and
grandchildren, we gathered to say
farewell, revisit memories, take
photos and prepare the house for a
new chapter in its narrative. I read a
tribute poem, which I wrote in honor
of our home, as well as a welcoming
letter addressed to the buyers. I was
then ready to pass the baton.
After the ceremony, we turned
over the keys to the lovely young
family who was ready to start a new
life in the space familiar to us. I
looked around for a final check. At
this point, the house seemed ready
to embrace new owners, align itself
with their story, hear yet again
young voices filling its rooms. So
I lovingly said goodbye, savored
the sweetness of the cake the new
owners brought for us, took along
the beautiful plant they gifted us,
walked out and closed the door
behind me for one last time.
The following evening, the first
in our new apartment, surrounded
by unpacked boxes, perched on an
outdoor chair transported from
our old home to our new balcony,
I took some time to reflect and
to celebrate: our new home, the
familiar furniture looking just right
in their new spaces, the awaiting
adventures. I recalled a favorite
quote by T. S. Eliot:
What we call the beginning is
often the end.
And to make an end is to make
a beginning.
The end is where we start from.
Planters awaiting transfer to NST balconies
Beginnings and endings are so
closely intertwined. Our past chapters
are translated into remembrances
and packed into internal archives
of memories. I hold my memories
dear and savor the offerings of the
past. But new beginnings lie ahead.
A new chapter just started, with
blank pages ready to be filled, and
I foresee greater freedom and new
opportunities. The first page looks
good!
Psychologist chair from former home office (left) turned into a reading chair in new apartment (right)
July 2018 ¢ NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER 17