When they first bought their home, Meghan did not know it would be the place she would cherish forever. Getting a house is not just about buying yourself a place to live; the people who live there and the memories you make forever remain dear. Even after you look back after a decade, you clearly remember every memory that each corner of the house holds.
Meghan had heard all this before, but the truth has never been more real. In March 2016, Meghan bought something special, which they called a ‘starter home’. It was a white cape with black shutters and a cherry red door, and the couple firmly looked at it as their first milestone towards bigger things. However, Joe, the husband, passed away soon after they shifted. The small house all of a sudden meant everything to Meghan. It is human nature that we do not cherish people enough while they are here, but the sudden realisations that hit after they are gone take us forever to heal.
For Meghan, the start home was her safe space, the only place that kept her at peace at that time. It was something tangible that the couple had built together, the last but the dearest one. While Meghan did not have many people around her, whenever the walls hugged her and tried to open up, her voice faded with all the pain stored inside; the creaks of the floor covered it all.
The house was not just about the furniture and decor; it felt like something Joe intentionally bought to leave as a memory for her. Everything the house has might forever remain irreplaceable, as Joe set everything up. She embraces how he tiptoed on the creaky stairs when baby Vienna was asleep and is so proud of all he did. Everything is now pictures in her heart, moments that she wants to relive, but she is only left with the power to recall them all.
Meghan recalls how, when the couple was about to welcome their baby and start the beautiful journey of embracing parenthood, Joe sat wearing flannel pajamas, excited to build the crib himself. The baby was so loved that Joe would never sleep without kissing Vienna good night. The home was colourful, especially at Christmas. It was all about beautifully decorated trees, unique rugs, and a house with laughter and joy every day. Could there be something else that one wants to ask for?
It now seems like all the memories are chapters of her beautiful story, but with Joe’s death, it feels like the story ended. Meghan was already in pain and was going through the worst heartbreak after bidding goodbye to her love, and it got worse when it was time to say goodbye to the home the couple had built with so much love.
Isolation complicated things for Meghan, so she moved back to her parents’ house with her beautiful daughters, Vienna and Lily. Meghan now knows that grief is forever, and she misses her home. However, how each little thing reminded her of Joe made the healing journey hard, and she had to be surrounded by her parents’ love. However, the emptiness and incompleteness she feels without being surrounded by the laughter and presence of the love of her life remain and will forever stick with her.
Meghan believes home is where the heart is, as you never know when you might see the person you love so much that you would trade your life for them for the last time. Home is where the family begins, and you must bid goodbye to your loved ones. But the heart always urges me to return home. It’ll forever be their home!
