Thanks for the Memories

My mother moved to Las Vegas this week where she had bought another house to retire in. She will be sharing the house with her cousin and her husband. It also means that our childhood home, the house that she has lived in for over thirty years is now being sold. We loved this little house. It's where we grew up in. Even our friends say they hate to see this house. It has anchored many of us even after we had moved on out on our own. We all still had strong ties to this house. Now, those ties will be permanently severed.

Of course we know it's not really the house that we are tied to, it's the people and the memories that were in it. I know it has to be doubly difficult for my mother, but as she said, she's getting old and living by herself in this old house has gotten more difficult every year. Ever since my grandmother passed away last year, my mother has been feeling her age more and I guess she is now also feeling a vulnerability to her own mortality. I don't blame her. She saw her mother age and go through sickness.

She had started worrying what would happen if she fell or got sick and there's no one there to help her. She had considered those medical alert buttons that you can push when you've fallen and can't get up (lol) my grandmother had one so my mom's familiar with it and all the other devices made for senior safety. But it's just a different feeling knowing that there's another person in the house with you. I guess that's why, when she had the chance, she jumped on the opportunity to move somewhere where there will be someone in the house with her. Besides, she loves Vegas! We're just hoping she doesn't spend all her money at the casinos.

So as my mother makes her way to her new home, we are saying goodbye to our old home with sadness. The only comfort we take in letting the house go is that my mother is still strong enough to make a major move like this in her life. She is taking that anchor and all the memories with her, and she will now serve as the beacon for us to follow home.

At least when she's in Vegas, there will also be many other seniors that she can interact with on a daily basis. They will all probably be wearing medical alert bracelets, but that's ok. It's another phase in her life and she will adjust as we all will...

So for now, goodbye house, goodbye home. Thanks for the shelter, the laughter and the memories.