Keys in Sight and Saying Goodbye with Friends September 10, 2023
It's official: on September 29th, so very soon now, we'll be getting the keys to our house in Denmark. It's hard to believe there are only a couple of weeks left until we officially become homeowners in Denmark!
Yesterday we got together with Anke, Thomas, Peter, and Susanne, and we celebrated saying goodbye here at the house. It was an evening full of laughter, memories, and a few hidden tears (at least on my part). I've already started packing boxes, and the good china will be packed up tomorrow. This means we won't have many more chances to have dinner parties here in Germany. Yesterday's evening was a goodbye in many ways—to the house, to shared dinners here, and a little bit to this chapter of our lives.
It wasn't entirely selfless either, because we seized the opportunity to ask the four of them whether anyone might be willing to join us, at least occasionally, when we drive north with the moving van or our big car to move. You always underestimate how much work a move like this is, especially over such a distance.
But before Thomas and Anke even had a chance to respond, Susanne and Peter jumped right in and said they'd both be free on the holiday on November 1st and would definitely help us with the move. That made us so happy! You're truly blessed to have friends like that. And we can definitely use a little help lugging the heavier furniture.
And yes, despite the bittersweet feeling I've already been sensing, yesterday's dinner was lovely, and we had such a good time. We dug up old stories, speculated about the future in Denmark (Peter is convinced I'll be speaking Danish fluently within a year—I'm skeptical), and made plans for visits. The four of them have already invited us for a summer vacation next year at "our" coast.
Evenings like this show what really matters: not the walls you live within, but the people you share your life with. And thankfully, you can hold onto those across national borders.
But now it's getting serious with the packing. The first shelves are empty, and slowly the house feels less and less "ours." It's a strange feeling, but the anticipation outweighs it.
