the little house...

i was over here this morning and this post brought forth a rush of memories.  her story of her little house is so similar to mine i felt compelled to write about it.  our first house was meant to be a "5 year" house as well.  we were married just a year and had no children when we purchased our little "fixer upper".  and believe me, it was a "fixer upper"!  but it was ours - all 800 square feet of it.  well, by the time 5 years rolled around, the year we had planned to sell the house, we had three kids in diapers and were thinking about a fourth.  i was home with the kids and my husband was working full time and attending college at night.  the little house had shrunk, but we had no money to buy a larger house.  so we stuck it out.  and a lot of people said we couldn't do it.  impossible they said.  how could we all live in that little tiny space?  and thinking about adding another child.  we must be crazy.

at first we believed them.  it really did feel too small.  and impossible.  and that made us very unhappy.  but the crazy part was true and one day, we made a decision.  and it was a real turning point in our lives.  we decided to do it anyway.  we would do it our way and not listen to anyone else.  and we had our fourth child and we lived in that house for eight more years.  and we were happy.

every spare moment i had was spent transforming that plain little house into a sweet little cottage brimming with shabby chic goodness inside and out.  i became a master at organization.  a place for everything.  all four kids "stacked up" in one tiny bedroom.  each and every possession was well thought out.

looking back, i think the best part of that house was its' smallness.  we made up for it by spilling outside.  we spent many many hours outdoors and we got to know all of our neighbors.  it was an older neighborhood and most of them were retired.  it was like living among many grandparents.  they loved our kids and enriched our lives.  they often reminded us to enjoy that time of our lives, that it passes by so quickly.  and i've found that to be so true.  and i'm thankful for that little house.  it allowed me to stay home with my kids when they were small and savor each and every moment.

and when the time was right, we moved.  to our "big" house.  but not too big.  just big enough.  although, i don't often miss our old house, i do miss that time of our lives.  so many stories in that house.  good times.  bad times.  funny times.  sad times.  all of it.  that little house taught me things.

i learned to live simply.
i learned to find joy in small everyday moments.
i learned patience.  good things come in their own time.
i learned how important it is to live my own truth and not someone else's.  because, deep down, only i know what is right for me and if i stick to that, everything will be ok.
and most importantly,
i learned how to create the space i need in my very own soul, so no matter where i go, i will be at peace.