Rose swept her eyes over the grand room and foyer before closing the door to her home forever. Had it really been 45 years since she and Ray bought this house?  She smiled as she thought of the joy, fear, and anticipation of this four-bedroom home as they signed the loan agreement. Their son Caleb was three years old when their daughter Jaqueline was born.  Rose remembers Ray coming home from work when Jaqueline was just three months old, telling her that he thought they needed to move from their apartment to a proper home.  Ray had been putting money aside since the day they were married. He wasn’t going to be rich from his mechanic’s job, but he did alright, allowing for him and Rose to have date nights, and rent a nice apartment in downtown Chicago. Rose worked as a bookkeeper part-time, which helped a little with groceries.

Rose surprised Ray on their third anniversary with the news of her first pregnancy. Ray was over the moon with the news. If he had his way, they would have enough kids to make a baseball team.  They continued to put money aside every chance they could. Ray’s clientele had picked up significantly over the last two years. His honesty and hard work paid off and people knew they could trust him. Rose had been working full-time for the past six months and even received a raise for her keen ability to spot mistakes and keep the office ledgers up to speed.  Fast forward three years when Rose sprung the surprise of another baby on the way. They knew things were going to be tight in their two-bedroom apartment, so they started talking about the next steps. Rose knew they had the money for a down payment on a house, but she didn’t think Ray was ready for that commitment just yet. Imagine her surprise and glee when Ray brought home the ad for the beautiful home in the suburbs. 

“Ray, this is beautiful, are you sure we can afford this?” Rose asked.  Ray assured her that they would make this work; they had a good nest egg and he had just received a promotion to head mechanic in the well-known car company.  They looked at the home, made an offer that night, and moved the next month. She smiled as she remembered how bare the home looked after they moved in. Their two-bedroom apartment furnishings barely filled the first level of the home, let alone the second.  Over the years this home had become their modest little dynasty. By today’s standards it wasn’t much, but back in the seventies it was like a mansion to them.  They had birthday parties, Christmas dinners, Easter celebrations, wedding rehearsal dinners, baby showers, and all kinds of events in between.

After the kids moved out and married, Rose and Ray decided to stay at the house. It was perfect to have the grandkids over. It was just the right size to have family gatherings with overnight stays. Both Caleb and Jaqueline moved to Indiana; by coincidence, their jobs were just thirty minutes apart from one another. Jaqueline’s husband, Tom, got along great with Caleb and his wife, Nancy, got along great with Jaqueline. The four got together often and their kids we close in ages for cousin gatherings and playdates.  Rose and Ray relished the time the families came to visit but they also started a whole new part of their lives alone.  They took up gardening, pickle ball, volunteering, and hiking. They were like a new dating couple after the kids moved out.  They were 48 and 56 years of age when Caleb moved out and 48 and 56 when Jaqueline moved out.  Their life was truly filled with love and adventure until the year of their 50^th wedding anniversary.  

“Let’s go on this vacation for our anniversary.” Ray said to Rose, one cold January day, as he handed her a brochure.  “I’m 72 and may not have a lot of years left to do something like this.” He added.  Rose looked at the brochure, noting all of the activities in the resort. There were hiking trails, beach volleyball, cooking contests, kayaks, and a host of other planned events. “This looks great, Ray, we should go on one condition; you stop talking about not having a lot of years left. You are more fit than men half your age. Why, I don’t know how you manage to lift all the weights you do, and besides that, you are always out doing something in the yard.” “I know baby doll, but if I don’t say that, I might not get you to go out on these adventures.” Ray responded with a teasing smile. It was true, Rose was not quite as adventurous as Ray. He wanted to zip line and she was happy on the beach. He liked to scuba dive and her adventurous side was pushed to the limit with snorkeling. He always pushed her to her comfort zone; it was one of the things she enjoyed so much about him.  They booked the trip for May, the month of their anniversary, and started planning all the fun they would have.

That May came with the anticipation of a magnificent celebration. Fifty years was a long time to be with someone and they preferred to sneak off alone. They could plan a large celebration, like the kids wanted, later. During the trip they swam with the dolphins, snorkeled, kayaked, danced, had bonfire celebrations, and walked through miles of beach trails. They came home suntanned, filled with plenty of food, and ready to be in their own beds. When they returned home, they found that a storm had taken a tree down in their yard, blocking the driveway.  Ray parked at the bottom of the driveway and proceeded to get the saw. Rose told him that he could wait until morning and work on it. She suggested they go in, unpack, and unwind from the long trip home. Ray was insistent on getting it out of the way. Rose knew once he had his mind set, he might as well do it or he’d be thinking about it all night. Ray took pride in his yard and the thought of that tree sitting across the driveway was making him crazy.  She told him she would take the luggage and unpack, and he could do his thing.  She kissed him, told him she loved him, and thanked him for the trip of a lifetime.  

As she proceeded to unpack and start the laundry, she could hear the chainsaw. She smiled to herself, filled with a little bit of pride for how strong and independent he was. She was just as attracted to him now as the day they met.  She paused as she was getting laundry out of the washing machine. It was quiet; too quiet.  She hadn’t heard the chainsaw in a few minutes which probably meant Ray was having an issue with the chain. He replaced it last summer, but he has done some work with it since.  She went to the side door to see if he needed her to grab anything for him to work on the saw. When she opened the door, she nearly screamed.  Ray was lying on the grass, next to the tree, the chain saw dropped beside him.  She ran over to him and before starting CPR, checked for a pulse.  He was gone. She grabbed her cell phone and called 911 while still assessing for a pulse, trying to do chest compressions anyway. She knew it was futile, but she didn’t want to admit it. The responders arrived pretty quickly and confirmed that Ray had passed.  Rose felt like her world just dropped out from underneath her. She began to feel guilty for “letting” him go out and work on the tree, but she stopped herself right away. Ray was his own man; determined to work hard. He would rather go down working hard than live another five years sitting around doing nothing. Rose wasn’t going to let guilt creep in, she would honor Ray by mourning him and being strong.  She called the kids with the worst news she could imagine giving them.  That was eleven years ago this next month.

Rose had stayed in the house because she didn’t want to give up the memories. She remained active in the garden and hired out for larger jobs.  She liked having the house for the families to come visit. She had her church friends over for bible studies, cards, or just to visit. The year after Ray passed, she increased her garden size and started canning vegetables to give away to the needy. She tried to keep as busy as she could, but there were times when the void of not having Ray in the house was suffocating.  He brought the house to life with his stories, his pranks, and his wisdom.  She missed him so much.  The kids had tried for years to get her to sell the house but finally stopped when she told them that she would know when the time was right. Now, at 75 years of age, the time was right. She had started looking at condos close to where the kids lived. She found a 55 and over community that had nice amenities and a spacious one-bedroom apartment.  She wasn’t ready for an assisted living facility yet; heck, she had good genes and would probably live until she was well into her nineties. She thanked God for her health but told him that she wouldn’t be disappointed if he decided to take her sooner so she could be with him and Ray.  She knew she would never marry again; that just wasn’t in the cards for her. Ray was too much a part of her to take an interest in another man.  She was content with her friends and leaving them was going to be hard, but she knew it was best to be closer to the kids. The grandchildren were in colleges that are in close proximity to their homes. If anything did happen to Rose’s health, she knew it would be a hardship for the kids to try to help long distance. She had been apprehensive about making the decision to move, but looking over her empty home, she felt at peace.  Ray wasn’t here, her memories weren’t here, they were in her heart and her mind. At the closing, she met the family that would be residing in this home. It was a young couple with two children; much like she and Ray when they purchased it so many years ago. It warmed her heart to see their excitement about their first home. Although Ray and Rose had done updates over the years, she knew this couple would do more to make it their own; make it more modern. She was happy to know that the home would continue to be a reprieve for another family.  She looked at the counter in the kitchen, stealing one last glance at the vase with flowers and a card.  A card that would wish the new family well, tell them a few intricacies and tips about the house, and share a few memories of a love story lived in these walls.  As she walked to the car to make the journey to her new home, she looked up and thanked God for a blessed life, a marriage that exceeded any expectation she could have had as a young woman, and a family that witnessed the love between their parents. The famous line “there’s no place like home” was certainly true in this case. Rose knew that she and Ray would have made any home magical which is why she felt peace leaving the only home she knew as a married woman.  She knew brick and mortar, wood and nails, and paint and drywall are what houses are constructed of, but homes are made of love because love never fails.