Wednesday, September 17, 2008

chit chat

i was feeling restless yesterday ... the fall weather always brings that out in me ... so i decided to take a drive to our old neighbourhood ...

it is only 10 minutes from our town, yet when i drove over the narrow bridge - it felt like a different world ...

i had plans of visiting old neighbours ... we do keep in touch with them and enjoy their sweet friendship ... but no one was at home ... nor was anyone home at our former cottage (they live in the city and just come out on the occasional weekend) ...
so i parked the car on the road, and did a little walk about on that piece of land that had once been so familiar to us ... one which we had lovingly called home for over a decade ...

the trees we had planted were huge, making the yard feel quite private ... a secluded, mature property ...

and it truly felt odd to be in such a familiar spot - because it felt unfamiliar too ... it had once been a well loved spot, with much of our hard work still on display ... yet - it was definitely NOT home anymore ...

maybe when we get to heaven ... our real destination and our forever home, we will look back at our life on earth and feel the same way ... it was once a place we called home - but not anymore!

just sharing and thinking outloud ...

Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in.
Aim at earth and you get neither.
~C. S. Lewis



18 comments:

Mari said...

It's fun to go back to old haunts, but you are right about it never feeling quite right. I love your comparison to heaven - what a good thought!

Pat said...

This must have brought up feelings from deep within. I can almost feel them with you. What was, what is and what will be. The last time I was in California, I went back to my childhood home...my favorite house. It was in total disarray. It made me so sad, but my happy memories still remained.
Sounds like you had a day well spent...and being alone was the way God intended.

Jammie J. said...

Trees are markers of how time passes... when I went back up to my first condo when I first moved to Orange County, I was amazed that the plum tree and citrus trees I'd planted in my little backyard had grown so much. The plum tree was tapping on my former upstairs neighbor's window!

I'm glad you went back and visited. Sounds like it was a day to think about the past. we need those sometimes. :)

Susan said...

Great C.S. Lewis quote. You've hit the nail on the head in this post. This is not my home, I'm just passing through.
Susan

Ramblins of a middle-aged goddess said...

I have always heard the saying, "You can't go home again." Well I understand that so much better now after trying a couple of times to go back to old homes and see them. Even getting a chance to go back into my grandmothers old home where I grew up. It was so odd to be there. But you have good memories and that is what counts..

Vicki said...

Beautiful photos...I love the Fall! We are just starting to feel an little bit of a breeze finally. Nice C.S.Lewis quote, too.

hugs,
vicki

Debra said...

Great post and pictures! Thanks for sharing, Saija...Blessings, Debra

Sita said...

One thing we will find on this earth is that nothing temporal has eternal value...has eternal satisfaction...as this knowledge of dissatisfaction grows, so will the yearning to be satisfied, a yearning for heaven, a Place where we come face-to-face with the One Who satisfies...
I'm looking forward to Part 2 of the Heaven series on Sunday at church..along the same theme..blessings, Saija!

Felisol said...

Dear Saija,
Guess we all can relate to that somewhat lost feeling, when a place you've loved and cherished has changed and is so definitely not yours anymore.
We had our first home for 13 years, planted, sowed, built and sold.
The new owners used the first year to cut down, sell away (Serina's old playhouse), and so on.
Now we rarely visit that part of town.
Both Gunnar and I am lucky to be able to visit regularly the houses in which we grew up. My room is still the place in which we sleep when we visit my Mom.
We sure can't carry all our past with us. I am happy to know that most of it is a forgiven and forgotten one.
I don't cling to, but I appreciate the memories of the good times.
They were blessings from the Lord.
I also feel bad about the ones who unwillingly have to leave their home due to this incredible depression nowadays.
From Felisol

Amrita said...

Lovely pis and Lewis is just too good. This one 's funny too.

Little Montreal Girl said...

I love those pictures. Fall gets me itchy too. I'm a huge fan of CFL football and the fall is when things really start heating up. Ben and I can often be found outside throwing the football back and forth. I love it!

Little Montreal Girl

Fred said...

I chuckled when I read "fall weather." Our fall arrives sometime in November.

I can hardly wait.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, it's weird visiting your "old place". I absolutely hate the feeling - even though I don't even miss the old place!

Just shortly stopping by between work...

Maggie Ann said...

What a good way to put it...about where home is and how we will not miss whats behind us.

Mimi said...

it's always nice to go back for a visit...but you can't live there any more...memories are wonderful...when you see how large the trees have grown...you realize how long you have been gone...

Maggie Ann said...

btw, that was heartwarming that you liked my collages...*hugs*

Cathy said...

When we get to heaven in our new mansions, Saija, I don't believe we will be looking back.

Unknown said...

Hello Saija, I haven't been here in a long time so thought I'd say hello. How are you doing?
We just moved into a new house and I know what you mean about it feeling strange when you go back to your old home. :)