Last week Tom and I returned to Ohio on our days off to help Mom and Dad move into their new home.  Moving out of the home where they have lived for 56 years was a group effort.  Mom and Dad worked hard to sort through a lifetime’s accumulation of stuff.  Tom and I helped sort and pack when we could and carried things to rummage sales and Goodwill.  My sister and brother both put in hours.  Nephew Jared took some of their stuff for his new apartment.

But this last week was the end of the preparations.  It was time for Mom and Dad to move.  My brother went up on Monday and started packing.  Mom and Dad had already taken most of their clothes over to the new condo.  Steve carried over lots of kitchen stuff.

When we arrived Tuesday afternoon we were ready to pack and pack and pack.  Mom was still sorting, and Dad wanted to set up the new laptop computer we brought with us.  So Steve packed up the Music Room, Tom worked on the computer, and I packed up the basement.  By the end of the day, all three of those things were in pretty good shape.  We loaded up a bunch of boxes and took them up to the condo to unpack before supper.  Mom and Dad took us out to Papa’s Gondola for an enjoyable supper together.

When we got back home we watched a little of the Indians’ game (Go WINdians!) and then Tom and I went to the condo to sleep.  Mom and Dad got a new bed for the master bedroom and Tom and I were the first ones to sleep in it.  I think all the work during the day helped us sleep pretty good that night.

Wednesday morning saw us all back at it bright and early.  I spent a good portion of the day packing up pictures, artwork, and other decorative things.  I would think I was done with a room, start on another room, and then see more stuff on the walls in the first room.  So many things on the walls – and they just kind of blended in.  I was so used to seeing them there, I didn’t see all of them.

Our instructions from the movers were to take anything that wasn’t in a box or wasn’t furniture up to the condo ourselves.  So we made a couple more runs up to the condo on Wednesday.  I worked on cleaning out closets at the house.  There is a trick to cleaning out a room or closet.  Once it is completely cleaned out, close the door and don’t open it again.  Opening the door again is just asking for something new to appear in it.  By Wednesday evening Mom and Dad were tired of the whole process and still had rooms that weren’t packed.  After supper at Applebees, Steve went back to Columbus and Mom and Dad settled in to watch the Indians.

Thursday morning the moving van showed up at 8:30 with four young men ready to move lots of stuff.  We threw anything that wasn’t already packed into boxes for the movers.  Or we threw it into Mom’s minivan to haul up to the condo ourselves.  Mom and I made two loaded trips up to the condo by the time the movers were finished loading up.  The truck they brought was exactly the right size – they must be professional movers!  Mom and Dad were most nervous about the baby grand piano and the grandfather clock.  But the movers were extra careful and got them loaded up safely.

After a quick lunch at the condo, the movers arrived and started unloading everything.  The clock and piano were the first two items unloaded and put in place.  Already the condo felt more like home.  I unpacked the kitchen items as quickly as they were brought in, and we started a couple of boxes of stuff to take to Goodwill.  Although the condo is a nice size, it doesn’t have nearly as much storage as the house.  So the kitchen was FULL long before the boxes of kitchen stuff were empty.

All the furniture was installed by 3 p.m. and one room was full of boxes that couldn’t be unpacked until all the furniture was in.  Mom paid the movers for a job well done and they took off.  Mitchell Movers 3G is an excellent company if you need a mover in the Ashland / Mansfield Ohio area.

Tom’s main job during the move was to get the TV and internet set up.  His job was made much more difficult by a splitter box in the attic that wasn’t working correctly.  After spending almost three hours on the phone with Spectrum, he finally got a service call scheduled.  Mom and Dad were hooked up and connected the next day.  The company does a good job but they need more customer service people.

Unfortunately, Tom and I needed to leave as soon as he got the service call set up.  We felt bad leaving Mom and Dad among all the boxes but we had to get back to Pennsylvania.  We felt better about it because my sister and her husband were coming the next day.  Julia is great at organizing things so we knew she would handle the boxes.

Helping Mom and Dad move was difficult and wonderful at the same time.  We loved spending the time with them, especially when they would tell stories about some of the memorabilia they found.  I know it was really hard for them to move out of a home that nurtured and sheltered us for so long.  And they had the usual problem that most of us have with homes:  too much stuff!

But the heart of a family isn’t a house.  It is the people.  We are so blessed to still be together and have each other.  The move helped reinforce that as we all pitched in to do a difficult job.  Mom and Dad have moved into a good place and we will look forward to years of making new memories in this place.