The best way to realize the pleasure of feeling rich is to live in a smaller house than your means would entitle you to have. --Edward Clarke

Don't buy the house; buy the neighborhood. --Russian Proverb

Bricks and mortar make a house, but the laughter of children makes a home. --Irish Proverb

Paul and Marie (1 & 2), the current owners of the house we will buy on June 24th, invited us over tonight for a visit so they could meet Cianna and my mom and me (Amy met them a couple weeks at inspection). The two finished raising three sons in the 18 years they have lived in the house, and have been married 60 years! They will move to a retirement cottage in the northern part of the county. Marie said giving up the house was a difficult decision.

While Amy chatted with Marie (4), Paul toured me through the house (5) to share techy details on maintenance and modifications he's done. I could tell this was a man who took great pride in keeping the place in optimal condition. The tour felt like a man-to-man ritual.

Cianna was probably just in a good mood (6), smiling, climbing and jabbering away, but I wonder if she understood at some level that this was her new house. Paul joyfully presented to Cianna a rolling wooden storage box (3) he built that served as a perfect little play cart for his grandkids. Cianna stood inside and giggled with delight.

After we agreed to buy some miscellaneous furniture and tools, we all hugged goodbye. As we pulled out of the driveway, I snapped an image of Marie and Paul in front of their house (7). At that moment, I had a flash forward to decades into the future when it might be Amy and I in a similar photo waving off the next owners. The house will have once again learned.

- mike lee - wheaton, md