November on Long Island ushers in the crispness of the fall, delivering us into the holiday season and the winter wonderland that follows.
To me, November will always be marked by a white linen tablecloth, brightly colored leaves arranged into a centerpiece, the smell of turkey and my mother-in-law’s prized cornbread stuffing wafting throughout the house. The extra leaf is added to the dining room table. The fire is lit. The family is here.
Moving from being a Thanksgiving guest to hosting my own holiday dinner was more than shift in responsibilities for who would be preparing the turkey. It was a rite of passage. This shift in venues signaled my entry into adulthood.
And created lasting memories I will always treasure.
They say finding the right house is like meeting your future spouse: you just know. That’s exactly how it happened with me. After visiting house after house with our Realtor, when we pulled up to the address now saved in my GPS as “home,” my husband and I immediately exchanged glances. This was it. We could feel it.
We were right. Our offer was accepted that night. Our mortgage secured soon after. And when the moving van pulled up with our lives’ belongings in boxes and shrink-wrap, we were ready to start a new chapter in our lives.
The house before us was a blank canvas, awaiting our collective experiences to bring the colors, brush stroke by brush stroke, that make a house into a home. The laughter, tears, meals. Hearing good news. Breaking bad news. Babies. Grandparents. Life. It’s what makes transformation of bricks and mortar into that intangible something called a home.
Nothing exemplifies the culmination of those things like Thanksgiving.
Chopping celery in the kitchen, while gossip flies, football blares from the living room. Gravy is tasted for seasoning and stirred in an unhurried pace. Children run through the kitchen, past the T.V., into the basement and beyond. Their shrieks of joy fill the house, as they play hard in their dresses and tights, corduroy pants and sweaters.
This November, I’m thankful for the memories and experiences owning my home has brought into my life.
