It was raining and miserable outside but I still needed to go to the old house to pick up some things. When I pulled up, the rain stopped but it didn't improve on the image before my eyes. There was an unnatural quietness all around me, eerie enough that I looked up to see if perhaps a tornado was about to erupt but despite the murky cloud cover there was no indication of doom.
I stepped toward the house, then stopped and listened again. I realized what was missing. No birds were chirping, no neighbors chatting, no children were giggling or playing in the rain. The street was totally bare and lacked any semblance of people or animals! I had lived like this for fifteen plus years and never noticed the lack of noise. I had been so isolated from the world and didn't even know!
Later, I pulled up to my new house and saw familiar faces sitting outside. My hands were full and a smiling pixie of a gal opened the door for me and greeted me by name. Others asked if I needed help carrying my load. I felt my heart expand and my chest tighten. I fought the emotions that seemed so close to the edge lately and realized I was overwhelmingly blessed. This was where I was supposed to be. Right there, right then.
It's a great feeling to know that I can help others as they can help me. The peace I feel when walking on my deck and hearing the birds chirping, the neighbors' dogs barking and the children coming home from school wanting to know if they can come over and work on an art project with me. I really miss not being near my family, my own children and their children but they are living their lives and fulfilling their goals. So I am here helping others and they are helping me in the process. It's working. I belong here, I've finally found a home.
