This past year, my sister and her husband bought a beautiful plot of land in the Appalachian region of Virginia. This is where we grew up visiting our grandparents and attending family reunions. The plot they found immediately found like home, and now they are in the process of building a house for their family of three kids.
The process of acquiring this plot was far from easy. Many bureaucratic conflicts arose, including my sister being unable to get a proper address at first because her acres technically span between two counties. Not to mention troublesome neighbors and inclement weather repeatedly delaying the build.
Her family of five has spent almost twelve long months living in a trailer on the land. It goes without saying that the time has been chaotic and stressful, but I know it will all be worth it in the end. By the summertime, they will have a beautiful house ready to live in and all the grueling months of waiting will have paid off.
There’s something magical about the land. As soon as you step onto it, it feels like home. The sun seems to glow extra golden through the trees. The harmonies of the wind blowing through the leaves, the babbling brook, and the chirping frogs and insects welcome you to stop and listen. The roots of the old trees push quartz up out of the ground, like the land is always gifting you crystals.
My sister’s land feels especially beautiful when I think about the timing of when she bought it. She and her husband had been trying to find a plot for two years with no success. It wasn’t until after our aunt passed away last April that they finally secured a deal. Ever since then, we’ve felt like our aunt played a part in getting her that land from the other side. We feel her presence in the warm sunshine, the whistling wind and the trickling water. We gather the quartz and imagine that she is the one who gifted it to us. We tell her stories as we wander through the woods and feel as though she is out there somewhere, listening.
It’s been a long and difficult journey, but I’m so happy for my sister and so grateful that our family can enjoy this land in the Blue Ridge Mountains, our home. I can’t wait for many more memories and stories to come.