This here was the view from our little condo when we packed up and left Belmont for Charlotte. Josh and Amanda had made it all possible for us. Those two care deeply for family, especially in finding practical solutions that allow for dignity.
Evenings were something special. We’d sit down to supper, and right there in the yard, just past the patio, our quiet company would show up. Deer, graceful as ballerinas, would wander within five yards or so which seemed close enough to count their eyelashes. Not once did they step a hoof onto the porch. Good manners, I guess. As we say, they must’ve had good raisin’. 😉
Now, we had our hands full with two little fur babies, Sparky and Maya. Bless their pea-pickin’ hearts, they thought they could take on a whole herd of deer! So, most evenings, we set up one of those portable fences to give them a taste of the outdoors without the chase. It worked like a charm… most days. LOL!
Our new place was just as cozy as our Belmont home — a bit smaller, sure, but just the right size for what I had the energy to keep clean. We swapped out the carpet for some lovely wood laminate floors and filled the rooms with furniture that held stories of their own. Jo and Josh rolled up their sleeves and built in extra storage for us, which was a godsend. The best part? We were only fifteen minutes from Josh and his sweet little crew. It felt like home in no time flat.
We settled into a new rhythm with no yard work, no leaky gutters, no frettin’ over anything more than what we wanted for supper.
Before my stroke, Fred and I were known for our Friday adventures. I’d slide behind the wheel and we’d head off for the day. Sometimes we’d drive on up to Blowing Rock, sometimes eastward as far as to Winston-Salem, or just wherever the road felt friendly in between. We’d eat at those little places we’d vowed to each other we’d try, then poke around antique shops and thrift stores — mostly just looking, mind you, but now and then we’d bring home a trinket or two. Something else to dust!
I told myself I was building memories for both of us, but truth be told, I knew in my bones that someday he might not remember. So I soaked up every laugh, every silly moment. Every time I said or did something crazy to get a rise out of him, he would look at me sideways with that smile of his, chuckle, and say, “What’re you doin’?” Oh, he was a hoot. So much fun! My very favorite person by my side, ridin’ down the road.
By the time we moved to Charlotte, we had our driving routine down pat. It was like our own little dance. At night, he’d do the guidin’, especially when the roads split into more than one lane. I’d follow his lead. I’m sure that was probably the only time in our marriage I ever let him be the backseat driver. Ha! We made quite the team… one that might’ve scared the socks off anyone paying attention, bless their hearts.
Our appetites had slowed down a bit, so we’d usually split a seafood platter or a good ol’ blue plate special. And you know what? Sometimes, that was downright romantic! When I didn’t feel like cookin’, I’d run over to Showmars or Park Place Restaurant, pick up supper, and we’d sit down to eat while watching the deer dance across that expansive green yard behind the condos, right where it met the woods and the creek—our little slice of heaven.
During that sweet, gentle season, it was easy to believe life would just keep going on like that. Simple. Steady. Soft. Illusions, sure — but sometimes, a little illusion is just what the heart needs to hold onto hope.
We were blessed, no two ways about it. We moved from one safe, loving home to another — from Charlotte to Maryland, from Josh’s arms to Jo’s. Still wrapped in family, covered in grace.
God is so good, y’all. And that’s the truth that keeps me living in the here and now.
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