The Home We Grew Up In...

Since MOM and DAD have gone to heaven we decided to sell the family home.

The sale will be final today.

This was the house that all my brothers, all 6 of us grew up in. Looking back, it was a small house, ~ 800 square feet for a family of 8, but that wasn't our memories.

My brother Kevin wrote this in regards to his memories of our home.

We are almost ready to say goodbye to our childhood home.

The paperwork is at the recorder’s office right now.

For some of us, it has been “home” for almost 50 years. For most of us, it has been the only home ever known growing up.

Some of you have new homes. Honestly, I can’t say I do. I have lived in San Jose or the general area, since 1982. But this has never been home to me. Its where I live, where my house is, but not my home. Until I have a home, Jeffery Court was always that place. I know life wasn’t perfect there, we definitely had our normal share (and not so normal) of life challenges…but I can’t seem to remember those. What I do remember is:

The endless backyard…. So big when I was so small.
How big the pool was….it seemed to take forever to swim across it from one side to the other.

Climbing the huge trees, but also remembering when they were first planted, and how small they started out to be.

Having my own room…and Tim having his own room….but not for long.

Looking at the ceiling and seeing all the world maps made out of the texturing….

Laying down in the hallway in the summer and letting the cooler blow cold air to cool down…

Trying to have a private call on the phone by wrapping the cord as far as I could down the hall… (cell phones weren’t even a dream yet)

Living in the room in the garage…. What freedom from the confines of the house….

Playing basketball in the driveway…dad’s fade away shot at “halfcourt”…

Making skateboard go-karts and racing around Jeffery Court sidewalks…

Playing stickball in the driveway…trying to hit a babe ruthian home run across to the grass at Tarr’s.

Painting the American flag on the garage door with pat when Tim and Mike were in Desert Storm..

Dad passing out presents at Christmas…how big the living room seemed then….

Ping pong….in the garage and the backyard…

Laying in front of the heater in the winter.

Fires in the fire place….dad kept them going for hours….

Doing dishes as one of the chores. Definitely liked washing better than drying…

Getting a new TV antennae….

Posting Christmas cards all over the wood paneling wall in the living room. The entire wall would be covered….

Always having a home to come to….with a loving mom and dad to protect me….

I could go on and on actually. But most of all, I remember family. Family dinners. Sports with brothers. But mostly, just the love of amazing parents and brothers I was…and am…so blessed to have.

Our childhood home may be gone after today, but maybe our “home” doesn’t have to be.

Maybe our “home” can be found in the ongoing effort to keep the family together, loving and supporting each other….. who knows where we might find each other in the future, but let’s really try to keep the bonds of family and brothers strong and alive.

I really don’t know anyone else who is as lucky as I am to have 5 amazing brothers. It is truly a blessing from God…so, let’s treat it as the special gift it really is.

In good times and challenging times, they will always be so much better when we are 6 strong.

I could not have stated it more beautifully and profoundly.

Thanks Kevin!