Our House
Our house was built with so much love.
Our love comes from Ohio, Good Ol’ Wilkes County, NC, Greensboro, Asheville, Michigan, even a place called New Prague, MN.
Our house has character, and memories too.
Memories with backyard fires that carry the smell of foil packs and smore’s all the way upstairs and rest on pillow cases long after the laughter and coals are out. The kind of fire that never really goes out.
Even in winter the fire is hot. We heat with wood and we keep it stocked. Warm feet and cozy seats leave us singing from our "top 100 list of best songs ever”. We bake to teach our children a sense of our heritage, and because I want chocolate pie!
The love in our house is in everything.
We have loved through graduations, marriages, newborns, loss, angels, football (Steelers and the Browns), baseball, family trips, family memories, family games, choosing family names for the babies. We have loved through so much, it wouldn’t matter what could come. It’s known we would all be there in our house, together. No matter the storm, no matter what weather.
Our house is sisters and brothers, fathers and mothers, cousins, sons and daughters. We are one but we are not the same. We get to carry each other. We get to love one another, in our house.
There is so much about our house.
There are floors that creak, doors that pull teeth and a hole in the floor that all the kids from each generation love.
Because even when kids should be asleep, below is a baby grand piano that plays until they dream.
There is an old blueish-green stool that’s survived at least 4 generations and boasts worn memories of helping people up in our house.
Friends become family when they walk through the red side door.
They are always invited to stay for dinner and if they can’t, they’re told to please come back and “We’ll cook something together”.
There is always fresh baking, good home cooking, and every weekend at least a dozen or so of us sitting around the table for breakfast, for dinner, for game night, or someone’s yearly day of celebration.
Our house is strong. Strong with belief. Belief in our religion, belief that you can always do better if you try. Be good, be good, be good. Try your hardest, always give your best. Our house, I believe, is the best.
Now our house is 9 grandkids strong. To think back to where we started, it was with Number One, Caroline. Assigned a number by birth order, you're more likely to be called your number than your name. It’s easier that way!
The kids in our house are the reason we stay. We stay to be a strong house. We come home on weekends because we believe family should pray together on Sundays. We parent together because we are united. We play together because cousins will always be your best friends. And you can count on family forever.
Our house was built with so much love.
Yes, that’s our house.
I love this house.
I am sure you have a house like ours, or you have been to ours or one like ours. If not, you're invited to dinner and we’ll cook something together! I hope this warms your heart with thoughts of your own family home and memories this Father’s Day weekend.
Love,
Nicole and the rest of our house