From strangers to family: Connecting with past caretakers of our now home

The following was a journal entry I wrote from May of 2018 just a few months after having moved into our new old farmhouse.

Wing family visit May 5, 2018

Another day complete. Tractor is running, deer are peering through the trees ready to eat, and the sun is gently setting. Being able to hear and see the calming of the day is something I had once felt at my childhood farmhouse as well as on weekends at the lake, and family vacations.To be experiencing those “feel good” moments at, what is now, our home makes my heart swell with gratitude. Those cherished memories of summer evenings on the lake, the sounds of the birds as they settle in and the fireflies lighting up the front yard at my parents’ home all came rushing back to me tonight. Which led my thoughts down a path to our most recent memories with our new friends whose visit made them feel more like distant relatives than strangers.

At the beginning of May (2018), we had the privilege of meeting the Wing Family. I first got to know the Wings through a letter I received in the mail one cold and windy snowy night when we were installing a conduit so we could have internet and cable installed the next day. It is a night I'll never forget. I remember getting in the mailbox and seeing handwriting I wasn't familiar with on a white envelope and a postage mark from Maine. I opened it in a hurry and was so surprised to find it was from a past caretaker of our new home.  Over the next couple months we chatted back and forth about the house through email and the idea of maybe coming and visiting was thrown out. Before you knew it, plans were confirmed and the Wing family were scheduled to come back "home" in the beginning of May! 

To be honest with you, I had been so excited and just a tad bit nervous for their visit. I was excited to learn from them, hear stories and their cherished memories of the farm. I was nervous like anyone would be- you know, hoping they would like what we had done with the place in the short time we'd been here. I was hopeful they would still find this home comfortable and familiar yet feared it would leave them in some kind of disappointment. I was hopeful this visit was going to be worth their time and travel here. 

There was something special about the day we all met. I remember them pulling up with grocery bags in hand and a beautiful hanging basket for us. When they entered the front door I remember waiting to see their expression. Would they still love it? Be disappointed?  Then the memories began to be shared as we walked around the house. We talked about the fine details, improvements they made, chandeliers they had installed, quarks and charm that made it such a special place.  I found myself listening closely and leaning into every word shared. For having just met, we were all comfortable in each other’s presence and by the end of their visit, they left as family. 

My most cherished memory from that day was when we gathered tightly around the table for lunch. They had insisted on bringing chickens and salad so I made dessert.  There is something about putting a meal on the table with all hands on deck. We got snug in the kitchen chopping, tossing, and gathering items for the table. It made us come together in a way I never had anticipated. It was genuine time spent getting to know one another. It is a meal I’ll never forget and will always be grateful for.

Many people have been kind in saying what a blessing we are to this big old house but we truly feel the house is blessing us in a very unexpected and abundant way.  When a house is worth traveling over a thousand miles to visit after about forty years after having lived here, you know it is much more than a house. These bricks stacked up are more than just shelter to it's past stewards. It's a place of comfort where memories were made and continue to be cherished, it's familiar and welcoming. It's a place worth revisiting and exploring all over again even in the presence of complete strangers turned family. And all of this is because these bricks were not formed into just a house. They were formed to create and care for the families, people and children who would rest, play, seek shelter and gather in. All of those things make this house a true HOME.  

Forever grateful for these blessings,

Danielle