Today I am walking around with a heavy heart. Five and a half years after we moved into our beloved Pine Lake house, almost six years since we first saw it, it now belongs to someone else.
Despite now being free from maintaining the house and the financial burden, I am having a hard time finding joy in handing over the keys once and for all. I love that house. I love Pine Lake. While I dont’ regret our decision to say goodbye to our home, it was not an easy choice to make.
I love that house. Bright rooms, open, brand new when we moved in. The girls, Camille especially, had beautiful bedrooms. And the front porch, oh the front porch. Lovely to sit on in almost any season!
But life there was so much more than the lovely home. Pine Lake! Truly a hidden gem in DeKalb County. While we were there, we watched and participated as the playground was built, the wetlands were created, the lake was dredged. Our lovely outdoor spaces became lovelier. And the community. How blessed we are for having had the chance to live in such an active, caring community. I’ve been spoiled by it, since now wherever I go, I expect the same friendly wave “Hi” that is the norm in Pine Lake.
As for my melancholy, part of it comes, I’m sure, from the fact that I don’t have the busyness of setting up a new home and the joy of new experiences. We moved out of our house 15 months ago, and yesterday was the final goodbye with no “Hello” to counterbalance.
I only hope there is truth in “Once a Pine Laker, Always a Pine Laker.” And that the family who is moving in will grow to love the house and Pine Lake as much as I still do.
I’ll drive by and wave at my dear old friend often, since I refuse to let go of Pine Lake completely.
