HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Today is the twentieth anniversary of our moving into our house.

I wouldn't remember exactly, I don't think, except it occurred on the day of the Tiananmen Square massacre. I recall feeling so fortunate in comparison to those poor people. And we have been fortunate.

Our house was built in 1919, and that seems so old....yet now we have lived in it for over twenty percent of its existence. I often wonder how things used to be....what happy and sad things occurred here before we came. People lived here through the Great Depression, the aftermath of WW1 and WW2. Through so many historical events. But what personal events did these walls witness - and why won't it tell?

This house held us close as we made decisions about Aidan and Lydia's education, as we prayed with them and taught them to read the Bible. It was blessed by Fr. George, and sheltered many a prayer. It reverberated to the sounds of Lydia's dancing, tap-tapping on the stage we made for her, to the advice of Doctor Laura during those years when I actually was able to take a day off to do housework! The walls rang to loud music as we danced to the radio turned loud (to demonstrate for Aidan before his first dance) . It enjoyed our cozy family nights with Lindt chocolate and Jeeves and Wooster videos, and the game nights around the Clue or Pictionary boards. We welcomed Sergei for his summer visit, and waited and waited and waited for him. Then the house began to hear Russian.....from Sergei, and Zhen, and Anastasia and Maxim and Ilya....

We found out Craig had diabetes. We grieved the loss of his job at St. Vincent Home, and rejoiced when he was hired at Lansing Catholic Central; wept when his job was eliminated there. Delighted in his successful coaching career, and in the more important successes he had with students.

I desperately cleaned the spice cabinet, praying, praying, praying that my brother would recover form hemochromotosis, then sobbed over his untimely death. Here in this house, where I received the call, suddenly amidst a sunny morning's ironing, when my dad died, we celebrated Aidan's entrance into the army and welcomed him home from Iraq. Lydia danced and sang here and Aidan stood in the yard and maneuvered his lacrosse stick. Sergei takes apart his computers....Ilya does his needlepoint under this roof. Within these walls we've enjoyed so much great literature....hours of reading aloud....

There has been much playing in the hose, and dinners on the porch. We've had a beautiful garden (when I had the time) and we've had a very neglected garden (now). We've waved daddy off to Korea, Aidan off to Washington D.C., and Lydia off to Spain. We've welcomed Susan and Calvin into our family. So, much, so much, so much. And a lot more, I hope, with God's grace.