The house painters arrived.

Their job is to return our home to neutral colors allowing prospective buyers to envision themselves living there.

Their job is to erase us.

Our bedroom is/was red with gold and black accents. We loved it. We don’t count anymore.

As the painters finished taping and covering all the non-wall surfaces, I took a moment to give gratitude for this house that held us through thick and thin, rain and (some) sunshine, through cold, snowy days, and absurdly hot ones.

Specifically, I thanked the colors for bringing me joy and a sense of belonging. They reflected me, us. I explained to my walls and cabinets that a new family would come and fill them with new colors and welcome them into their family. This new family will benefit from their reflective powers and steady vigilance.

You can say a house is a thing and does not care about gratitude, but I know that this is a place that absorbed our energies and history. These rooms will show up in my dreams for years to come, just like other places I have lived do from time to time.

Moving on is a part of life. Allowing the things you cherish to have new meaning for someone else is a form of grace. Gratitude is a form of recognition. Each new situation in life can benefit from such an intentional recognition of what is before us, living in the present moment, honoring our history,

I have already begun to assign meaning to our new home, our new colors, our new sanctuary. Still, to move on too quickly is a missed opportunity.

I have performed this gratitude practice with old favorite purses that carried my necessities and secrets, clunker cars that got me from A to B for a while, and old boyfriends who helped me find my boundaries.

When you have something new come up for you, it often requires letting go of something familiar. You will feel it in your very soul.

Take a moment to absorb what is really changing in your life with grace and gratitude. I promise it is worth it.

Mary