Turning the Page and Stepping into the Next Chapter

 Busy, busy, busy two weeks are almost behind me. Moving Lissy and Che' the first week and then clearing out my mother-in-love's home to sell the second. What an exhausting, wonderful two weeks it has been. I remember wishing to be on this side of the workload before I came to Arizona. Now that I sit here with the heavy loading behind me, I am actually having a moment of sadness. It has been an incredible amount of work for sure. But it has also been family working together, laughing together, and making new memories as we share the old ones.

  We sold at a four day garage sale but gave away more than we took money for. Mike hurt his back so he couldn't help Ron and Paul bring treasure after treasure up from the basement and lugging items to keep back down the stairs. Garret bought the house so he is letting us store the rest of our chosen keepsakes until June. The basement is much emptier than we imagined with stuff tucked away in trunks and Ron's and my trailer filled with a good portion of what we want to keep. When we get home we may have to have our own garage sale to make room for what we will add to our house.

Mike cooked incredible meals and we ate like royalty. He loves his smoker and sharing his talents with family. Nights were spent watching old 8mm reel to reel films of the young Barber family in South America long ago. So here I sit with most of the family gone back to their lives. It is only Ron, Clara and I in Nana and Papa's house. Today, Lissa and Dorothy will come get the furniture that they selected and the house will get a bit emptier. Ron brought in an old camp table from the garage filled with the leftover garage sale stuff that Habitat will pick up Tuesday. So we still have the beds that Deb and Garret are keeping to sleep in and a couch that will get picked up Monday. Other than that this house is empty. But the memories are still here with each of us. What a gift this time together has been. We need to come together more often. My only regret is we didn't take many pictures this week. Guess we will just have to keep the images in our hearts and minds. It will be with sadness and a smile that we drive home with our cars loaded with stuff we don't really need but can't part with. Another page of life turned. A new chapter to step into.

In Him,

Joyful

4-9-22