Sunday, September 12, 2010

Echoes

As I walked through our empty house, from room to room, my footsteps echoed off the bare walls and floors. How strange the feeling, that a house once so alive with activity, was now so empty and quiet. Lost in memories in each room, the echoes from my footsteps were replaced with the laughter of the kids on my back as I carried them around the living room. The giggles and screams as I snared them, when playing alligator. The dining room filled with toys, instead of furniture. Kelly and Nicole making pretend dinners, playing house. Our dog Murf, guarding them, and trying to get in on the action from time to time. The kitchen is where I would use every pot and pan to make dinner, and then the playtime afterward as Deb cleaned up my mess. Our family room truly was just that. It was a place to laugh, watch movies, cuddle. Some shenanigans would also happen there too. Can't have a ceiling fan, and not spin some stuffed animals off it, or try to toss them through the spinning blades.
Bed time stories, and chasing kids in pajamas. Hiding under beds, and in closets, made the half hour before bedtime so much fun. Murfy getting a bath, then racing around the house trying to dry off, while the girls screamed trying to  get out of his way. The birthday parties, the friends, and the relatives, so much fun and laughter. It's the laughter I remember most of all, and those are the echoes I hear, as the door closes on another chapter in our lives.
We had a happy home.