Last spring, not the super long corona infested spring, but spring 2019, Sam’s grandma called and asked us to come over for a visit. We visited with her weekly, or as close to weekly we could get with a 4 year old and almost 2 year old, so this invitation seemed a little strange, but we didn’t think too much about it. We showed up on the night we told Memaw we’d be over, the boys immediately scavenged through their toys she always had on the porch for them while Sam and I each sat down in our rocking chairs we always claimed.

Within minutes of visiting Memaw told us she was ready to sell the farm and she’d figure out details if we still wanted to buy it. We’d talked about it before but it always seemed out of reach or a dream that we’d always be wishing for. About two weeks prior to this Memaw had a health scare that had us all thankful we still got visits on the porch with her. I told her that right then was not the best time to be making crazy decisions, and we were just concerned with her getting better. If you all have a Memaw in your life you know there’s no changing her mind once it’s already made up.

The rest of the evening is a bit of a blur (mainly because I can’t remember a movie I watched last night, let alone a year and a half ago). I’m sure we went home, pulled out that cardboard box we’d listed pros/cons on two years earlier, and told ourselves why it wouldn’t work.

A week later Memaw called and said she scheduled a date to have an auction to sell all her things. The auction would be in six weeks. Holy smokes. This was happening and we had work to do. Sam’s mom was able to convince her to push the auction back two months but we still had a house, a workshop, and multiple barns to clean out. 15ish people had lived here at some point or another over the last 40 years. 😳

We found all sorts of hidden gems inside these walls. We were entertained with live music from Sam when he found his old guitar.

We busted through cleaning out Papaw’s workshop because if anyone gave themselves too much time to think while they worked, we’d probably all still be sitting together crying while going through his treasures.

We pulled things out of Memaw’s pile for trash and pile for the auction. Yearbooks from high school graduation in the 1940s, first editions of classic books, this lovely antique bingo game and I’m sure all sorts of other things we all thought Memaw was ruthlessly trashing. There wasn’t time in her day to go through all the boxes we found. 😉

We took truckloads to barns of items to be sold at the auction and items to trashed.

And when our days of working were done we played, and loved, and laughed, and reminisced. Most of all, we were thankful we got to do this alongside Memaw to hear the stories that belonged to all of those boxes. Cleaning the farm out together through laughter was better than doing it through tears.

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The day of the auction came with every sort of emotion you could think of. Years of memories were sitting on tables in the driveway. Tools were lined on wagons waiting for a new home- even though we weren’t sure we actually wanted them to go. Furniture was carried out of the house and lined up for people to look through.

Memaw’s friends came. Family gathered around picnic tables. Everyone claimed numbers to bid on items. The yard was lined with cars and the driveway lined with strangers.

Sam ended up buying back the heavy dining room table that was carried out to the driveway the night before (along with countless other things he couldn’t let go for just a couple bucks). His mom bought the glider that always sat outside the workshop. His cousin bought a picture and frame his grandpa made. His uncle bought antique lanterns and farm equipment. I bought a ceramic Christmas tree like one my grandma had when I was younger. Other family members bought decorations and tools.

I guess it turned out we all wanted our own little piece of the farm we knew and loved to keep as our own. Standing on the outside watching everything happen, and knowing it was partly for my family was a feeling I can’t begin to put into words. Being together at the end of what everyone had always known as “the farm” and the beginning of the next chapter of the farm’s life seemed like the perfect transition. ❤️