To the Previous Owners of Our House

One year ago today, Herb and I purchased a new home.  I gave this letter to the previous owners the day they signed their home of 30 years over to us and moved to a retirement community.  As I reread this words today, I was reminded how blessed we are to be here.  Everything we set out to do with this house (in the letter) has already come to fruition, and then some.  

Dear Joan and Melvin,

Recently, we helped my grandparents sell their home of forty years and move to Fairmount Homes, and while a bittersweet transition, it was really nice for them to know who had bought their house. They found peace in thinking about the joy their house would bring to another family.  I have been thinking that I would love the chance to tell you how excited we are to live here.

The first time I saw the listing, I immediately noticed the bold front door and wondered why such a nice house showed up in our price range.   The turquoise door was the color of my bridesmaid’s dresses ten years ago, and the color of my beloved fiestaware.  The love between aqua/teal/turquoise and I runs deep enough that nearly every one of my friends and family would be quick to tell you it’s my favorite.  Imagine my surprise when we visited the house for the first time and saw the color carried in to so many corners of the house.  I especially like the door in the den and cabinets in the garage.

My husband, Herb, is a shop supervisor at Clair Brothers in Manheim and a seminary student, I am a self-employed music teacher, and we are both worship leaders at our church.  We met the first day of marching band at Millersville University in 2002, where we both majored in music.  So of course, we had another good laugh when we realized this property was located on Harmony Hill Drive.  While I currently teach at a music studio, someday soon I am hoping to turn the den behind the garage into a home studio where I teach piano and guitar lessons.  

Our son, Levi, is six years old and attends kindergarten at Veritas Academy.  This was one of the main reasons we ended up in this end of the county. We are excited to be so central to so many of the attractions that makes Lancaster special.  We love  spending time in the city and I am hoping, now that we are closer to it, to make more of a routine of getting produce from central Market.

In addition to Levi, we have been attempting to add to our family through adoption for the last three years.  It’s been a loooooooong and hard journey, filled with bumps, losses, and grief.  This house represents a fresh start for our family.  Not only is it the nicest house we’ve ever lived in, but it’s going to allow our family to grow as we move in to the area of foster care.  

I can’t wait to have room to entertain overnight guests and a place to send the kid(s) to 

rough house in the basement.  I imagine Levi sitting at the counter doing his homework while I make dinner.  I am already planning picnics and large family dinners.  Levi is excited to explore the “forest” behind the shed.  Herb is excited to finally have a little office nook (the nook in the master bedroom) - a bright and quite place to do his reading and writing for seminary.  My grandma, who I mentioned now lives in a retirement home, has a passion for flowers, and is greatly looking forward to seeing what pops up out of the flower beds, which we can tell you have lovingly cared for.

As you can see, this house is more than just a 1400 square foot, energy efficient, well maintained beautiful property to us - it is our hope fulfilled.   I am praying that wherever you have transitioned to brings you as much happiness as I know this property will bring us.  Thank you for loving it well; I promise we will carry that on.