After nine years in the beautiful Miryang countryside, my wife and I have sold up and moved to an apartment in Busan. Looking ahead to a time when we will not be healthy and strong like we are now and unable to manage the large house and vegetable patch, we decided to leave before it was too late.
In our house, located at the foot of a mountain, we enjoyed fresh clean air and the delicious scent of pine resin from the trees surrounding us. Our house is situated on the upper side of the village, so we could enjoy the beautiful landscape unfolding before our eyes. The panoramic view of the mountains, rice fields, narrow lanes, the river bank and the black huts of the farmers are all indelibly etched in my memory. Since signing the contract, my wife and I have spent many sleepless nights. Looking back, we have many outstanding memories, both happy and sad.
Every morning our dog woke me at 6 a.m. with her insistent barking and we took our morning walk to the riverside, in the company of wild animals. If she spotted a distant roe, she would chase it at full speed while I labored and failed to keep up. Her energy was contagious as she jumped over bushes and rocks, her long golden hair streaming in the wind. What she was expressing outwardly, I was feeling inwardly. A gift of grace to know my life was enriched by another creature in such simple acts as licking my hands and rubbing against my legs as we walked happily together. She had comforted us in our "empty nest sadness time" but her death left us emotionally derelict, especially whenever we looked around our grassy garden, where she used to rest.
Other memories of our life in the house pass by intermittently like petals of cherry blossoms. Every spring, the white and yellow azaleas in the garden delighted us. After my wife insisted on not rooting them out, those pretty wildflowers adorned our vegetable garden, lovingly appreciated despite them hampering our farming. Still vivid are the memories of chasing butterflies and dragonflies around the daffodils with my lovely granddaughter.
But from now on, we will not wake up to the melody of birdsong, nor fall asleep beneath the moonlit window while exchanging anecdotes about our son and daughter's childhoods. We will not enjoy full breakfasts of fresh vegetables picked from our vegetable garden.
Nine years in idyllic surroundings have come to an end, and the reality certainly saddens us, but I feel so blessed by that period of our life that empowers us to go positively into the future. Even though we can no longer see the reddish blossoms of roses draped over the wooden fence, the violet lilac on the corner of the vegetable garden and the tall maple tree shedding yellow leaves by the wind, all will remain precious in our memories wherever we may be.
When we said goodbye to the new owners, my wife cried, and I also couldn't help but burst into tears. The thought that we had to leave our house, set in natural beauty and full of so many memories, made us regret our decision. I persuaded my wife to anticipate a bright future and not to be like Lot's wife who turned into a pillar of salt as she wistfully looked back. She knows I am no less sad than she is. But we are grateful knowing that the new owners appreciate the beautiful house and we wish them unending days of happiness living there.
Lee Eung-tae (eungtae@gmail.com) is a former high school teacher who taught English for 35 years.
QOSHE - Goodbye to our beautiful house - Thoughts Of The Timesaccount_circleinfobrightness_mediumcancel
After nine years in the beautiful Miryang countryside, my wife and I have sold up and moved to an apartment in Busan. Looking ahead to a time when we will not be healthy and strong like we are now and unable to manage the large house and vegetable patch, we decided to leave before it was too late.
In our house, located at the foot of a mountain, we enjoyed fresh clean air and the delicious scent of pine resin from the trees surrounding us. Our house is situated on the upper side of the village, so we could enjoy the beautiful landscape unfolding before our eyes. The panoramic view of the mountains, rice fields, narrow lanes, the river bank and the black huts of the farmers are all indelibly etched in my memory. Since signing the contract, my wife and I have spent many sleepless nights. Looking back, we have many outstanding memories, both........
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