My kids are all coming here today to celebrate the burning of my mortgage and our close friends getting a loan for their first house! WooHoo! It may seem kind of shallow, but for me, it represents feeling really secure. I grew up very poor, and even though I've been relatively fortunate financially for most of my married life, I've always known that things can change in a flash. I'm so lucky to have 7 wonderful children and that we are all so healthy and I'm profoundly grateful for it every day. But my one big dream has always been to own my home outright so that no matter what, we would always have a place. I've lived in this house for 22 years and even though it's old and in constant need of repair, it speaks to me daily of all the joys (and hard things) we've lived through here. My youngest child was born in this house. My Father-in-Law died in this house. My children learned to crawl and walk and talk and read and became the lovely people they are inside this house. I can picture ending my days in this house and perhaps my children or their children raising families here. And our friends are finally able to start this dream too. So that's what we're celebrating here today - all 14 of us! (Also, I'm celebrating having learned to make ribs from you fine folks at DC so I have good food to feed all these people!)
Barbara
