My parents sold our childhood home last spring and while we’re all thrilled for my parents and this new chapter in their lives; it was one of the hardest things to say good-bye to that house. The following is something I wrote the week after we moved them out.

We said our final good-bye to our childhood home yesterday. We spent all weekend moving my parents out of their house and it was a chore. On Saturday, we rented the U-Haul and my parents had a number of volunteers ranging from family to friends to youth group kids running in and out of the house with boxes, mattresses, and furniture. I’ll be the first to admit that the Sanchez Sisters weren’t among the harder workers but we chipped in with our fair share. My favorite memory of the day was when all four girls grabbed Alli’s queen-sized pillow-top mattress and carried it from her room to the U-Haul Truck; we were in tears from laughing so hard. Then on Sunday, my parents, sisters, spouses, boyfriend, and Grandma Nancy spent the day cleaning the house from top to bottom. Emotions were high and temperaments flared as the cleaning fumes went to our heads but we got the job done.

Once the cleaning was done, the immediate family (just Mom, Dad, Christine, Alli, Courtney, and I) said good-bye to our family home. It was emotionally exhausting to say good-bye to a house where 21 years of memories took place. I walked from room to room and was flooded with different memories; laying on my parents bed crying from a recent heartbreak; whispering secrets in a dark room with Christine; watching Mom place baby Courtney in her crib; heated family discussions at the dinner table; raising tents in the backyard; my first kiss on the front porch; and the list goes on. (I’m getting misty just sitting at this computer writing about these things.)

How do you wrap up all those memories into one final good-bye? How do I accept that I will never again walk through that front door? How can I thank a building for taking good care of us and being part of so many memories? We met in the living room, our eyes red from crying, and said a final prayer. I watched as my father lost his composure and wasn’t prepared for his good-bye to the house; I watched my baby sister, Courtney, come to grips that she was leaving the only house she’d ever known. We called Jon in for a final photo in front of our fireplace and then we closed the front door for the last, and final, time.

Good-bye, dear, sweet house! Thank you for the memories and thank you for taking care of our family for 21 years; you will be missed!

My name is Jenn, I'm the mommy of an almost-2-year-old and another baby is on the way; I blog over at Knee-Deep in MunchkinLand. Overwhelmed is currently on vacation and she has asked a number of guest bloggers to blog this week. I am absolutely honored to have been asked and I hope they have a wonderful time this week!! I know she’ll be missed…