End of an Era
October proved to be one of the most pivotal months in Nocita family history. After 35 years, we said goodbye to 601 East Orange Grove Avenue, Sierra Madre, CA 91024. It's hard to believe I won't write that address again. Hard to believe it's no longer the home base for so many gatherings, holidays, and predictable comfort. The whole process happened relatively quickly, all things considered. One October it was a mere thought to sell the house and by the next, it was gone. It's hard to adequately describe the feelings that come with saying goodbye to so much history and so many memories. First steps, first words, birthdays, holidays, break ups, deep conversations, pool parties, home movies, dinners around the table, sibling fights, silly games, fire drills, weddings, funerals, and so much more. SO much more. It's the first place I called home, and the ONLY place I called home until I married Bart in 2014.
The process of moving was bizarre. With only one week to clear everything out, there was an urgency. There was a fast paced, make a decision, and move on type attitude that we were all forced to take on out of necessity. It was so odd to sift through boxes and boxes of old school projects, year books, gifts, and photos and make decisions about what mattered and what didn't. Things that at one point seemed so important became nothing more than a good pay day at the yard sale. Silly things that seemed like garbage way back when were suddenly irreplaceable in emotional value. Making decisions about what stays and what goes was sobering. A great reminder about the important things in life and an even better reminder that "stuff" is just that - STUFF. Tangible reminders of memories mean nothing without the people you made those memories with. This was the mantra repeated in my mind all week which made it easier to say goodbye to the "stuff," but ultimately nothing could stop the intermittent moments of reflection, trips down memory lane, and bouts of streaming tears. I think we all had our different times where the gravity of the situation would hit us and we would break down, only for someone else to have a similar moment a few hours later. Someone was always cryin'! Some happy tears, some sad tears, but the feeling that it was the right thing to do was shared among us all, and I think that is what made it all okay in the end. It was time, and we all knew it. It certainly helped that the buyers are such wonderful people. I always battled whether I would prefer our home be purchased by people who would enjoy it like we did, or someone who would just tear it down and let our legacy there end with the crumbled walls and dirt piles. I thought I preferred the latter as I wasn't sure I could stomach the thought of someone else living in our home. But after meeting them and learning more about them I realized it was so much better this way. Knowing that a new family has so many years of making memories ahead of them makes my heart warm. To know that the walls of 601 aren't yet through providing the warmth and comfort that we know so well makes it seem as though the Nocita family will always be a part of what exists there. It's a blessing. But still, even after the final box was moved and the lights shut off for the last time, it didn't feel real. It's now been two months and at times I still feel like I'm going to get on a plane any day now and head on over to 601 to float in the pool, watch a movie on the couch, and have some of mom's home cooked soup. It still exists in such a real way in my mind that it seems impossible to believe it's no longer ours. I don't think it will truly sink in for many months when enough time passes for me to realize that it's the longest I've ever been away. In that moment, perhaps I will accept that I'm not going back.
I could write 100 pages of memories and stories and all of the things that made 601 so special, but I don't think there is enough ink in the.....computer. All I can say is, it was a special place to so many people who extend way beyond the Nocita clan. And as sad as it was to say goodbye, I'm just so grateful to my parents for creating such an incredible environment for us to grow up in. I will always remember it as a place filled with immense love, joy, fun, and life lessons. I can only hope to create something so special for my family. And now, with the freedom from being anchored to our loving home, we are all able to move onward and upward! There are many more years of memories to be made in new places and new environments. It's a step that I don't think any of us wouldn't have taken without Mom and Dad making the brave decision they made to let go. As thankful as I am to them for giving us our home, I'm equally grateful to them for allowing us to create this new chapter in our lives. It may be a tough adjustment in this transition time, but I think the best just may be yet to come.
The process of moving was bizarre. With only one week to clear everything out, there was an urgency. There was a fast paced, make a decision, and move on type attitude that we were all forced to take on out of necessity. It was so odd to sift through boxes and boxes of old school projects, year books, gifts, and photos and make decisions about what mattered and what didn't. Things that at one point seemed so important became nothing more than a good pay day at the yard sale. Silly things that seemed like garbage way back when were suddenly irreplaceable in emotional value. Making decisions about what stays and what goes was sobering. A great reminder about the important things in life and an even better reminder that "stuff" is just that - STUFF. Tangible reminders of memories mean nothing without the people you made those memories with. This was the mantra repeated in my mind all week which made it easier to say goodbye to the "stuff," but ultimately nothing could stop the intermittent moments of reflection, trips down memory lane, and bouts of streaming tears. I think we all had our different times where the gravity of the situation would hit us and we would break down, only for someone else to have a similar moment a few hours later. Someone was always cryin'! Some happy tears, some sad tears, but the feeling that it was the right thing to do was shared among us all, and I think that is what made it all okay in the end. It was time, and we all knew it. It certainly helped that the buyers are such wonderful people. I always battled whether I would prefer our home be purchased by people who would enjoy it like we did, or someone who would just tear it down and let our legacy there end with the crumbled walls and dirt piles. I thought I preferred the latter as I wasn't sure I could stomach the thought of someone else living in our home. But after meeting them and learning more about them I realized it was so much better this way. Knowing that a new family has so many years of making memories ahead of them makes my heart warm. To know that the walls of 601 aren't yet through providing the warmth and comfort that we know so well makes it seem as though the Nocita family will always be a part of what exists there. It's a blessing. But still, even after the final box was moved and the lights shut off for the last time, it didn't feel real. It's now been two months and at times I still feel like I'm going to get on a plane any day now and head on over to 601 to float in the pool, watch a movie on the couch, and have some of mom's home cooked soup. It still exists in such a real way in my mind that it seems impossible to believe it's no longer ours. I don't think it will truly sink in for many months when enough time passes for me to realize that it's the longest I've ever been away. In that moment, perhaps I will accept that I'm not going back.
I could write 100 pages of memories and stories and all of the things that made 601 so special, but I don't think there is enough ink in the.....computer. All I can say is, it was a special place to so many people who extend way beyond the Nocita clan. And as sad as it was to say goodbye, I'm just so grateful to my parents for creating such an incredible environment for us to grow up in. I will always remember it as a place filled with immense love, joy, fun, and life lessons. I can only hope to create something so special for my family. And now, with the freedom from being anchored to our loving home, we are all able to move onward and upward! There are many more years of memories to be made in new places and new environments. It's a step that I don't think any of us wouldn't have taken without Mom and Dad making the brave decision they made to let go. As thankful as I am to them for giving us our home, I'm equally grateful to them for allowing us to create this new chapter in our lives. It may be a tough adjustment in this transition time, but I think the best just may be yet to come.
Last family dinner around the table.
Dinner candles burning for the final time...
Slumber party in the living room for the final night!
"That's a wrap!"
Final walk through of the empty house.
Comments
Post a Comment