Monday, February 23, 2009

Look at Me!

Look at me. I mean really look at me. I know I am not much too look at now but at one time I was the answer to prayers. I was loved. Someone once saved and scrimped to have me, and was so happy when they could finally claim me as their own. I was one of the high points of their life. They worked and did all kinds of stuff just to have me. They planted flowers and bushes for beauty to surround me.

I had a family….I heard the laughter of the children along with their quiet talks with mom and dad. I heard the children playing on my porch and in the yard. They had a swing in the old oak tree that used to stand out to the side here. They caught lightening bugs in the dusk of summer evenings…finally, after growing tired they would settle on my front porch to plan for another day.

I was home to them...I kept them warm in the winter and sheltered them from the storms of summer. I was the place they took refuge in when life got hard. I saw them through the Great Depression, I was here when the son came home from WWII. I saw one daughter sneak her first kiss in the swing on my front porch. Another left here to be the first to go to college.
Meals were cooked in my kitchen, Thanksgiving and Christmases were celebrated, friends came and went. I was at the center of their life. My living room was a welcoming friend at the end of a long day's work. I was the holder of their dreams.

What led from then to now, happened so gradually I was hardly aware of it happening…the children grew up and married and had homes of their own…after several years the dad died, and not too long after that the mom passed….you can sort of imagine the rest. I was going through my own grieving and was hardly aware of time passing.

Now I am in this state and an eyesore to some, while a few others look at me and wonder what tales I could tell if I could talk.

22 comments:

  1. Oh what an interesting post, Rose. The old family home really could tell some stories, couldn't it????? Wonder who that was that got her first kiss on the porch??????? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!! I bet I know!!!!

    Sorry it's in such bad shape now though..BUT--it was a good house filled with love for many years.

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  2. So that's what the walls would say, If those walls could talk!

    It really is sad tho - how could someone afford to leave a WHOLE HOUSE? I've often wondered! How can you buy a house & then afford to leave without selling it to have the money to buy another place to live?

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  3. Just to clarify--these are just some of the things I imagine an old house could tell.

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  4. It is called: "The Celebration of Life," and affects everyone and everything. I am old and while not your ordinary "eyesore" — I am no longer good looking and new. The photography is excellent which is nice to hear and your choice of subjects included my era, which is nice for my eyes to see.

    Brookville Ohio

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  5. When I see an old house like that I have a tendency to daydream about it's past......who lived there, what kind of life did they have, sad times, happy times, etc.

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  6. That old house reminds me of the time that I went to TN and saw an old shack and since Patti has always wanted a little cabin I took a picture of it and mailed it to her with a caption of "One more payment and it ours". :)

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  7. Great shots of this old home. Whenever I see an old home like this one I always thing of what events may have happened there.

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  8. Rose, that is wonderful. What a great tribute to an old house and all the old houseses that once sheltered loving families and shared their lives. You tell it so well!

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  9. Really touching narrative! I want to give that house a hug! (and even in decay it has beauty...)

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  10. A fine image of this old, venerable place that is personified in your comment and made even more attractive. Very well done.

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  11. Really nice post Rose! You wrote a great little essay here. Very imaginative.
    I love that show "If These Walls Could Talk"

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  12. Rose, this is a great post. Your pictures are marvelous and you did a wonderful job of giving voice to the house.

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  13. I am without any words at this time, just thinking about houses and the stories they could tell! Not stories in a bad way, but stories as you captured them! Thank you Rose, this was an awesome post!

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  14. Rose, this is a beautiful post. Love it!!

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  15. Wonderful photos and I LOVE the creativity that went into the writing, Rose. Perfect!

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  16. Rose, this is such a touching post and brought tears to my eyes. Sadly without any TLC and years of neglect it will not last much longer. Beautifully written. Linda

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  17. What a beautiful post, Rose. I love how you wrote an essay from the perspective of a broken-down old house that has seen a lot over the years.

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  18. Well Rose...
    this might be the lastest I've ever posted... over 6 months late... but wow.. what writing..

    Tom

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  19. Truly a beautiful commentary and tribute to what might have been; what probably was; what we'll never know for sure; to the mystery of life...

    And the photo is one of those you could look at for a long time and continue to see new things...

    Great job!

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  20. Oh, I love this. There is no telling what these old places would say if they could talk! Great post!

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  21. I do love this, Rose. Thank you for sharing it with me.

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  22. Well done! Love the old house and the story. Thank you for referring me to this post!

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