The house was quiet with only the whispers of yesterdays tucked in closets and in each crevice of the house. No furniture slept quietly on the floors. No pictures hugged the walls. The smell of all those yesterdays remained but only that.

I don’t know what it is that causes me to love that house so. The memories were both good and bad. The winters were cold within the walls of the bedrooms. The basement was often damp. Ash hung on the walls of the fireplace and the rock walls held the memories of children laughing. What causes one to love a house so dearly?

I cannot look at an old house without wondering who lived there. Even the old house we lived in had been built by someone else. It was not our house. We were just the next to love and cherish it. It had been remodeled, hence many of the sweet walls were gone with a remodel of an old house. Who were those first people. There were many bedrooms. Were they full? Did they choose to build there because it sat on a hill? Was it once surrounded by trees? Who dug the well and lit the first lamp.

Yes, I love old homes. They have personality and character. A charm surrounds them and even though they need work, the thrill of giving them new life is exciting. New additions, walls removed, a new bathroom or two, paper torn off and paint applied. Old creaky windows replaced with thermal panes. Storm doors and perhaps a bit more insulation. New siding replaces old and outdated. Carpet covers those once cold floors. The wash pan is replaced with a marvelous new dishwasher. Even a microwave hums in the corner. Clothes no longer hang on the line. Instead they are in the house in the fluff cycle. A bathtub is added to delight the woman of the house.

Yes, I grew up in that house. I walked the rooms on that last day memorizing the feel, the smell, the shadows and mysteries played out within those walls. There I could hear my mother’s voice and feel the presence of Dad. Memories of childhood were stored there. The essence of who I am would always stay there. I would take a bit with me, but the love of those walls would always possess me.

My children have memories of the house. My grandchildren have no idea where it is or what it meant to me. It belongs to me and I to it. Creaking boards, rattling windows and rain on a tin roof. My heart warms and yearns at the thought. Home. Forever in my heart.