Moving Day by Barbara Quinn

This past weekend, my son and his wife moved into the first place that they own, a cute two bedroom condo by the water, in Stamford, CT. We hauled and lugged things out of their rented place in White Plains, and hauled and lugged them in cars and a truck over to the new place in Stamford. My husband, son, daughter-in-law, her Dad, and her brother, and I spent the day getting the last of the boxes and stuff that we all accumulate into the new place. Much of the move already had been done by my son and his wife which my old legs were quite grateful for. This was the last push.

Once everything was in the new place we gathered around their kitchen table. I brought a meal that we devoured quickly: Zucchini bisque, jambalaya and a chef salad. (recipes will be in a future YOG post!) Working hard does make you hungry. It was wonderful to eat together under their new roof.

While we ate I reflected how the pile of things in the center of the living room floor was comforting. Sure, it was signaling hey, pay attention to me. Put me away. Now! But it also signaled a level of accomplishment. The little boy who used to need to be told to take care of his things, now had things he moved carefully. And he was moving to a place of his own, a place he and his wife worked hard to save for and worked hard to find.

This is their first home. They have a new baby on the way in October. It’s a special time of life in many ways and I’m grateful that they are feathering their new nest now before the babe arrives. Home ownership has its problems, but the nice thing is that you can fix them the way you want to. You can take pride in creating an environment that is uniquely yours. And then you can mess up the place any way you want!