I look at the For Sale sign in the yard
And I get anxiety just thinking about not living in this house.
There are too many memories here,
I would have to live for an eternity to count them all.

What is a family?
A group of people that can overcome anything together.
This house is part of our family.
It’s as old as I am, yet stronger and more stable.
It has housed many birthday parties and sleepovers,
And storms and power outages.

I know the creaks of the stairs by heart.
I know the way the sun shines in through
The living room windows every single morning.
I used to come down the stairs in the mornings
And go straight into this room to watch how the sun moves from east to west.

I remember the time my brother hit his head on the fireplace
And when my sister jumped from the third floor to the second floor, unharmed.
There were intense wrestling matches in the basement
And deep and serious conversations after, when we were all tired.
All of us sitting around the kitchen table, eating and laughing.
We enjoyed the little time we had together,
Because we were teenagers who had school, sports, and jobs to juggle.

We are downsizing to a smaller house now
Because some are going off to college soon.
Maybe on holidays we can enjoy those talks around the kitchen table again.
Just knowing that we’re all together even for a short time
Only to have to say goodbye tomorrow.
But not in this house.

Giving up this home would mean giving up a part of my life.
What once was my entire life can now be a reminiscence of my beloved past.
New people may move in and make new memories with this house now.
They can enjoy all the little things, just as I once did.
This house will soon be just a house to me, but what once was a home.