Tuesday, February 15, 2011

a happy house


It was her favorite house; the one she dreamed of owning some day. Megan wasn't sure exactly why she loved it so much. She guessed it just looked like a happy house. Like a house where mothers sang their children to sleep and woke them up with kisses. Like a house where birthdays were never forgotten and the walls were happy colorsthe pale yellow of the early morning sun and the soft lilac of an evening sky.

When the house was hers she would add a brass mailbox and lace curtains. She'd plant roses and hydrangeas along the foundation. She would paper the sloping attic ceiling with rosebud wallpaper and find two iron beds that just fit underneath. She'd let her daughters share that magic space. She would fill that house with children. Happy children. Children whose mother wouldn't walk away to chase a dream. Children who were their mother's dream. Children who would never know a day without love. Children who would have a better life than hers. It was fierce, this need she had.

And this small, solid house seemed somehow just elastic enough to hold all her dreams.

31 comments:

Jeanne said...

Happy is the home where love resides and good friends visit often.

Love you
Jeanne

ELK said...

this is tender and full ..blessings friend ..happy day after love day ;)

Unknown said...

Love your stories and your words. Always.

cristie said...

indeed...a dream come true. xox

Enigma said...

That is a wonderful story and I instantly connected with it. I see my house like this... a place to heal, to love and to give. It has been that for me. ;)

Tracy said...

Your powers to transport are delightful, Relyn... feel like I'm right there breathing it all in. :o) Hope you had a the sweetest Valentines...Love, love, love to you & yours ((HUGS))

S. Etole said...

such a happy house filled with love ...

Suz said...

Oh my I felt the movement of this piece..working its way to heartache
..unfolding before me
..but I felt a pulling back in those last lines
Wonderful in its spirit
and courage
So happy to see your writing talent
at Magpie

Anonymous said...

children must be at least part of the dream of a mother, or she can never truly be a mother.

Char said...

a lovely write

Unknown said...

Loved this. I always love to read your writing!

Scrappy Grams said...

Beautiful post. Love the idea that this sweet house was your jumping off place.

Amy said...

Beautiful ... and it is happiness that makes a house, a home...

Anonymous said...

You write so beautifully Relyn!

Ann Marie said...

so beautiful.

GraceGal said...

This is beautifully crafted. If I read this on the first page of a novel, I would purchase it.

suzanna said...

you've done it again! - you've amazed me. lovely, lovely, lovely.

xoxo

Marilyn Miller said...

You paint a beautiful picture of this house with your words. What we all dream and hope for.

susanna said...

What a beautifully-written, timeless post, Relyn. I want to know more about the woman and her house. What happens in it? What happens to her children?

And that house in the photo does look like a happy house. It has personality.

Rita said...

Absolutely beautiful post! I can feel the happiness that Megan is sure to feel when she makes the house her very own and fills it with the love she will have for her children and her husband. Dreams!

ds said...

Nice magpie! I especially liked the ending (or is it the beginning?)--that "this small solid house seemed somehow just elastic enough to hold all her dreams."

HKatz said...

Very lovely and comforting, to think of a place like that; well done!

Hausfrau said...

Just lovely--especially that last line!

Heather Mattern said...

Oh how I love this! Beautiful, magical phrases and a new prayer for my own home!

Jessica said...

Absolutely lovely--I've read and reread this post smiling and thinking about my life and homes I've dreamed of night after night.

Unknown said...

Love this Relyn. Your children are so lucky, that's all I have to say!

xoxo Mary Jo

Jennifer Richardson said...

oh more, please,
more.
-Jennifer

Lara Neves said...

So beautiful. I understand the feeling of finding a home...not just a house. :)

Unknown said...

Beautiful expression and emotion, Relyn.

I couldn't help it....I got a huge laugh over the false teeth. I probably would've screamed! LOL

Jeanie said...

How simple. How eloquent. How absolutely lovely.

houses for sale said...

Nice home to have.

Angelo H

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