#14 of 31 Slice of Life...Letter to the Future Owners of our Home

Thank you to the Two Writing Teachers for hosting the Slice of Life Story Challenge.

Back in October, when we first listed our house, our realtor (and friend) asked me to write a letter to the future owners of our house.  He wanted me to tell why our house is special.  As much as I love to write, I couldn't do it.  I was too sad.  Well, I got an email tonight, asking for the letter again.  I'm in a better place, so I sat down and shared my heart with the people who will buy our house.  It's a little long for a SOL, but I hope you'll indulge me.

Dear Future Owners,

I remember when we bought this land from the Jermans.  It was 5 acres of cornfields with not one tree on our lot.   The Jermans told us the first rule of living out here is that you always wave to anyone driving by.  People out here are friendly and watch out for each other.  It’s one of the things that we love about living here.

We have so many beautiful memories.  Our children were ages 10, 5 and 3 when we moved in.  Our home was filled with love from the start.  It was always a great gathering place for family and friends.  You will find that it’s quite inviting for the kids to run “the circle” from the family room to the living room to the dining room again and again.  It was a favorite when the cousins were visiting. 

Of course the kitchen was a favorite spot.  Our kids grew up cooking beside me. On any given day, the kitchen was filled with the aroma of chocolate chip cookies or some concoction that our son created.  He is the master of chopping and sautéing and seeing what comes out.  Mother’s Day breakfasts were created here ~ blueberry pancakes every year.  We’ve experimented with foods from other cultures.  One of my best memories is making a traditional Indian meal when we hosted a foreign exchange student from Pune, India.  As we sat down at the table, she suggested we eat with our fingers like she did “back home.”  We were a mess, but we laughed and had so much fun together. 

The sun shines brightly into the dining room in the morning.  To me, there is nothing better than getting up before anyone else and enjoying a cup of tea while watching the sunrise.  As you look at our house, you’ll notice that the dining room table is quite scarred.  Each scar and bit of glitter or paint holds a story.  We dyed Easter eggs here every year.  This was also the spot where we strung popcorn or made homemade Christmas ornaments for the tree.  We iced cookies hundreds of times, and gathered friends and family for dinners, holidays, First Communions, birthday parties, and graduations.  It’s also where we gathered every night for dinner and played the high/low game.  We were able to stay connected with our kids as we shared the highs and lows of our day. 

The living room is a quiet, cozy retreat, especially in the winter with the fireplace going.  It was the perfect place to snuggle on the couch and read stories when the kids were little.  It’s also a great place for building forts out of chairs and blankets and eating picnic lunches under cover.  We danced away in this room…the kids’ feet on top of ours as we swayed across the room.  As the kids got older, this became the place for quiet talks, hugs, and wiping away teenaged tears.  Next to the kitchen, it’s my favorite room in the house.

And then there’s outdoors.  It is so peaceful when sitting outside.  We love the porch.  It is inviting any time of the day.  It’s wonderful to start the day out there with a cup of tea or end the day with a glass of wine.  The same goes for the patio in the back.  We spent many evenings having dinner on the patio, listening to the birds and relaxing at the end of the day.  We planted every tree on the property.  Many of the trees began as seedlings from the ODNR sixteen years ago.  Other trees came from family members or friends.  My Girl Scout troop planted the garden bed by the pond.  They researched native Ohio plants and chose what should go out there.  I’ve since added other plants, but it started out as a small patch of wildflowers and native trees.  We created a little area in the pine grove just last summer because it reminded me of my grandparents’ cottage.  It’s a wonderful refuge, a place to get away and still be close by.  The scent of the pine trees will surround you as you nestle into an Adirondack chair.  I love to garden and dig in the dirt.  As you can tell, there are lots of places to do just that.  The yard invites meandering, as well as volleyball games, tag, bonfires, and making S’mores.

 There’s lots of room to grow and create your own dreams here.  We had sixteen beautiful years of raising our family and welcoming loved ones into our home.  It is our hope that another family will take our place and continue to live and laugh, and love here just as we did.

With warmest regards,

Julie Johnson