maqroll
north Florida
Aug. 3, 2018
I had the same experience with a car. When my dad died, my mom, who could no longer drive, gave me their Cadillac. It was a few yrs old, but only had a few thousand miles on it. I've always bought Toyotas and Honda, so driving it was different. But it made me feel closer to my dad, who had always driven Caddys. Anyhow, after 7 or 8 yrs, I traded it in on something more practical. I felt nothing during the paperwork, but I unexpectedly walked by the Cadillac, which someone at the dealership had moved from where I had parked it. Before I knew it, I had teared up and found a little relief by patting it as I walked by. I've always felt a little weird about this experience, but reading this article helped place it in some sort of context.
Mary Reed
Austin, Ttexas
Aug. 3, 2018
When I knew that I was leaving my grandparents' home for the last time because they had both died, I took photos of every room, hall, porch and staircase because those spaces contained about 30 years of mostly sweet memories for me and because I knew that I would never see those wonderfully significant spaces again. Many decades later, when I cannot sleep or feel unsettled, I calm myself by taking a mental walk through each room, hall, staircase and porch. Those memories enrich my life and I feel very lucky to have them.
Armando
chicago
Aug. 3, 2018
Selling your childhood home is like selling part of yourself. It is a separation from what you considered your own little universe, your refuge and the safe for your privacy and emotions. I was born at home and it was my first place in my new world. Eight years ago, when my mom passed away, it was eventually sold. I still remember the day I had to handover the key. I wanted to tour for the last time my childhood world. It was emotionally overwhelming. I believe that any home filled with love has its own soul.
jazz one
Wisconsin
Aug. 4, 2018
Last night I had yet another dream about 'the house.' My beloved Tudor/Beaux Arts that we didn't live in long enough, and left too soon after a searing family tragedy. Only lived there eight, majority happy, years, and have been gone for 15. The tragedy didn't involve the house, and I should have just ... waited ... until the emotions driving the restlessness and despair of the time ... had settled and revealed their true roots. All my previous dreams all have me barging into 'my' house while the new, very entrenched female owner is having a party; always seemed to be entertaining, and on a large scale. She always spots me, and allows me to stay and wander about the place. The house is never like the house we left, it's altered, and not in a good way -- but is, in the dream, without a doubt 'the house.' Last night's dream had the woman gone, with only a boyfriend or handyman there. Lots of open ceilings and dreadful paint colors, and commotion -- and the place was for sale! I wonder if in real life, there's change coming there, or if it was just a wishful-thinking dream. Yeah, houses house emotions. If walls could talk ...
wlgiv
North Jersey
Aug. 4, 2018
I remember the pit in my stomach when we helped my grandmother move from her house to the apartment. It was hard to "lose" a place that held so many warm memories. Her attitude was that if was easier to deal with terminating a lease and cleaning out a place we didn't have an emotional connection to when her time came. She understood the emotional connection we all had to the house. It did make it easier on us when that time came.
Joel
Sarasota,Fl
Aug. 5, 2018
Every summer of my youth I spent at my grandparents house “down at the shore” in Atlantic City. The memories are as vivid now as 50 years ago. The whole family in what I remember as a big house-it was only about 1400 sq ft. Every day at the beach( they didn’t have skin cancer back then),nights on the boardwalk,Steele pier,riding bikes,fishing in the bay,great grandmothers donuts every Sunday.. memories are endless. I cried at 13 yrs when they sold the house-“casinos were coming-AC was changing”. I still look at that house on line-should I try to buy it? No-it wouldn’t be the same-but memories live on forever
