7/17/14 - The visual shock of moving. The keepers among our possessions are all packed and stored, revealing the terrible depth of 12 years' debris in the corners, behind the couch, and where the bed was. Wrapped candies, lost pencils. Old reminder notes. On everything, a fuzzy blanket of dust.
The walls are bare, all the tiny cracks and nail holes revealed. What remains of furniture (to be picked up in a few days) stands scattered, pulled away from the walls so the cleaners can clean.
The aluminum stepladder serves as an end table. Vacuum leans into the corner. A tangled nest of wires is revealed linking phone, tv, antenna, DVD. Everything still works but nothing is in its right place.
Absences. No art on the walls. The empty garage. A sudden whiteness of the refrigerator when all the photos are gone. The silence.
7/27 - Oh, the arrangements! Changing to a new email address. Moving in with our great friend Olivia. Changes to the insurance, banking and credit cards. Storing the keys, the check book, the birth certificate, the will, car titles. The master password program. Moving documents and photos onto flash drives. 19,300 pictures safely copied. Activating online everything. So many forwarding addresses. Last-minute medical events. Frustrating, time-consuming processes, these. Take weeks, wear out your eyes, your brain, your patience.
Then suddenly, it's done! We leave Olivia's, drive to Detroit, park the car with Andy and his wonderful family, stay there 3 sleeps.
7/31 - Goodbyes are hard. We say goodbye over and over, and it never gets easier. Will we see you again? How? When? Goodbye, Lyn and Charles, Patrick and Mary and Nino, Michael and Sarah and Erin, goodbye Ellen, Chak and Ellen, Marilyn and Chris. Goodbye Tim and Erwin and Michael and Audrey and Sean. Alonzo and Sandra. Pat. Doug and John-Anthony and children. Goodbye dear neighbors and friends. Goodbye everyone named and not named.
Don't forget us! We won't forget you. Here, take this party, this little gift, this token, this place-holder, this abstract stand-in substitute for us. We do love you, dear friends.
And suddenly, we're gone.
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