Goodbye to Home

 

 

Today marks the day that my family and I say goodbye to our family home. I don't even know how sad I am at this stage. A home means so many things. Moving on from it means so many more.

 

My Dad allowed us to have the most beautiful spacious home in Cape Town. Every room had a view that was perfect. It had space and high ceilings, huge windows and rooms and rooms. You were able to feel completely alone or able to have so many friends around, all enjoying the luxurious comforts of a huge pool, mountain views, sunny patios and a fully stocked bar.

 

The garden was lovingly tendered by my mom, it had Koi pools and hidden ponds, it rambled and turned and you could go for a "walk in it". It was the venue for picnics and garden parties and my wedding.

Our home had wall space for pictures my sister's and I had drawn throughout our lives. A long gallery passage that was adorned with beautifully framed paintings from when we were in pre-school. We had art from high school framed in the dining room and paintings of swirled colours that we had painted when coming home from trips after University and were filled with the naïve innocence an attitude of those who have the world at their feet.

It had a kitchen that always smelt of meals and baking, in it was a square table for 12, that was venue to lunches and dinners and always had space for someone to just arrive.

 

Our home had space for friends and families, it had space for sister quarrels and for dressing up. It had more than enough space for laughter. It had an entire dress up cupboard that housed outfits that could turn spontaneous dinner parties into groups of Geisha, police, cowboys, Mexicans and even a horse.

It was the venue for baby-showers and kitchen teas, the venue for my sister's and my 21sts. It has been turned into a circus, an Aladdin's Cave and a Disney Castle. It was the home to my wedding where it became the most magical haven, filled with my dreams and love and family and friends and released me into my new life and my new home, with my husband at my side.

 

It has been a refuge. It has housed guests from overseas, family from Sweden, friends needing a home. Friends that have now become like family. It was there when I needed a home from home, it was always open and never too full.
 

It's walls could talk of tears and unhappy times of sadness and of learning. Of long chats over bottles of wine and of long hugs leaving wet shoulders.

 

I am bad with change. So leaving home has been hard and today I am sad. I am trying to focus on all the memories and how much happiness there was and was able to be because of the walls of my home, because of the opportunity of living in such a paradise, such a fort and such a castle.

 

I know I want to create my own beautiful home with R and that I have learnt all the things I want and all the things I don't want from the opportunity of living in the most beautiful home my sisters and I could ever have imagined, and although I am never ready to say goodbye, I am ready to know that living in this family home has been a wonderful magical journey, the most special journey that 3 girls could ever ask for.

 

Thank you mom and dad x