I had worked on my Tennessee home for the last six plus years. Buying it in 2004 and selling it 2011. What once was rundown and in need of lots of repairs was now a beautiful home. The house had been a VA Foreclosure. It had stood empty for the last five years before I bought it. Vandals had stripped it of everything of value. The copper water lines had been cut from under the house, the heat pump heating system had been stolen. There was nothing as for plants or shrubs in the yard, not a single flower or flowering tree. The former owner must have had a rock fetish. Tons and tons of large boulders and smaller rock had been hauled in and dumped all over the yard. The two acres were over grown and nothing about the landscape was right. Not that I could see. As bad as the outside was, the inside was just as bad. The house had not been winterized before standing abandoned for all those years. Critters of all manner had moved in. The water lines in the second story burst and flooded the ceilings of the downstairs. Large holes in the walls, ceilings falling out, trim missing and fixtures missing. That was the good news. I had a house that needed lots of everything. The bad news was I had no idea or help as to how I'd do what was needed. I would become a regular at the local Saturday morning "How to work shops". I bought books and watched video's on the web. I bought tools, materials, and went to work. I learned to be a carpenter, a plumber and electrician. I hung sheet rock and did the finish work on it as well. I built and repaired walls, ceiling and floors. It was a labor of love and I enjoyed every minute of it. It was a challenge for me during a period of my life when I needed it the most. I completely changed the house inside and out. I gave it a name and it become real to me. I called my home Grace Lane. It was my wife and my family. I was consumed by the joy and the pleasure it gave me. I wanted to restore this Grand Lady. My goal was to make this old ruins of a house a beautiful home for a young family. A home is more that sticks and mortar. It's alive with laughter and smiles. Life grows and thrives within. That was all this house needed in the end. Everything else I could do except for what it would need the most.
Like all things, the repairs went thru stages of completion. The finished product was something I could and would always be proud of. What I was the most proudest of was the fact that I did it all myself. I had grown with the house. We were patient with one another and in the end we both got what we were seeking. The house was sold to a young couple with children and pets. I can only imagine the laughter that now fills those rooms. The love that grows daily and the future lives that will be born, if not now in the years to come. Grace Lane has breaths of fresh air, no more tears of being abandoned and left for ruin.
I was leaving Grace Lane but never would I forget her. She had given me as much as I had given her. What I learned during our time together will continue within me for the rest of my days. I learned to put aside my fears. I would never again say I couldn't do something without trying. I learned to stand on my own and to depend upon myself for the strength and wisdom we all possess within. I learned to use my mind, to think and to act without hesitation. I learned that with the change of season also brings a new beginning.
I could talk endless about my Lady Grace Lane. I think you would either get bored or think me a braggart. What I really want to leave with you is less simple, just this! Regardless of what you think you cant do, you can. Regardless of what you may think or how you may feel. Unless you try, you will never know for sure. Don't wait until the time is right. Satisfaction comes from doing. Can't is a poor exercise for not trying.
I was headed off to face the next adventure in my life. I had come full circle and was now starting a new circle. Only this one was in reverse. As soon as I sell Rose Lane I will be once again, RVing. Until then, I continue to learn more about myself :)
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