To the family buying my grandparents' old house,
When you signed the papers for this house you probably started thinking of the ways you were going to change it and make it better or make it your own; but behind that wallpaper in the back bedroom and the old fashioned and outdated kitchen, there are countless memories.
Before you take the wall paper with the ocean on it off of the bathroom wall, just know that while it may be outdated or not your style, the beach was one of my grandmothers' favorite places and there was a reason for the way everything was in the house.
Before you take the wallpaper off the wall in the back bedroom, remember that at one point it was my dream to have a room with the same wall paper as my grandmothers. The back bedroom has seen plenty of hide and seek spots that us grandkids would go crazy over trying to find each other. That back bedroom belonged to the heart of our family and I hope it stays that way.
Before you rip up the blue green carpet in the hallway, remember that fashion shows were held in that hallway and that my cousins and I chased each other up and down it. Remember the countless naps and sleepovers that were had on the floor of that living room that we couldn't wait to have every couple of weekends when Mom and Dad wanted to get rid of my two sisters and I for a little bit. The living room is truly a living room in every sense of the word. My large Italian family had more parties, homemade perogy dinners, and just time spent together in that room than anyone can ever imagine. Just like any other family, we have had arguments, laughs, plenty of tears were shed, and memories made in the living room. As our time in the house dwindled as my cousins and I got older, these seemingly normal memories became even more important to preserve.
The cabinet in the kitchen was always filled with our favorite snacks for when we would come for a visit; and if we were lucky, some candy to take home with us. Summers were filled with days spent at the house mowing the lawn, weeding the garden, and cleaning the inside of the house to give us priceless life skills. When we needed a break, my grandmother would have sweet tea or a variety of other drinks at the ready in her old Tupperware cups or old Coca-Cola glasses and we would go out to the pavilion behind the house.
When you signed the papers for the house, you had no idea of the impact that that pavilion in the backyard could have on a young child's life. You have no idea how many sandwiches and home-made meals were had out there when the weather was nice enough out. Though her rocking chairs and the old wooden swing are gone, the ability for you to use that space as a happy and relaxing space is still there and she would want nothing more than that. Remember to take care of the flowers and vines that will inevitably crawl up the side of that beloved pavilion or you will create a mess for yourself. Remember that each flower and plant needs to be tended to, especially the butterfly bush because that provides hours of entertainment for young children just looking to chase after something and learn something new every day. That old pavilion served as a space to run away from the fire hydrant sprinkler when the water was too cold to bear even on the hottest days of summer.
When you signed the papers for the house that my grandparents called home for all those years, you had no idea how important the back room in the basement was. Like everything else with the house, countless hours, days, weekends, and summers were spent in that room either watching or helping my grandmother with her crafts or when I was too tired, I would lay on the floor and watch movies on the VHS player while my grandfather weaved towels on his loom in the next room over.
To the family that is buying my grandparents' old house, make sure to treat every moment, mistake, triumph, and memory as if it were your last or like you won't ever experience the same thing again. No matter if they are good or bad memories, keep them all, because you never know when the last time you spend time in that kitchen making cakes, looking out that kitchen window at the birds on the bird feeders in the back yard, or looking at that wall paper in the back bedroom will be.
To the family that is buying my grandparents' old house, take care of it, and it will take care of you and it will be the best decision of your life.
