Letter From Eileen

Eileen Bradshaw President and CEO LIFE Senior Services, LIFE PACE, Vintage Housing eileen.bradshaw@LIFEseniorservices.org

Dear Vintage Readers,

Happy, happy New Year! I hope this note finds you healthy and hopeful. We must all stay vigilant regarding COVID-19, but I am very grateful that vaccines have been released and better days are on the way.

In this time of COVID-19 and quarantining, home is not only where the heart is, but where the office, the school and the gym are too! Whether your home consists of one room or a dozen, chances are you are spending a lot more time there. The home improvement industry is actually prospering as people strive to maximize their spaces. The housing market is also booming in Tulsa, thanks to low interest rates and people reexamining what they want in their homes. Our physical surrounding are reflections of our taste and our budgets, but also of our history and our values.

Throughout our 34-year marriage, my husband and I have had very different outlooks on houses and moving. He grew up in a military family, moving frequently. I, on the other hand, came home from St. John Hospital to 630 N. 28th W. Pl., and it remained my home address until I graduated from college. Consequently, he hates to move, and I am always open to the possibility of a new housing adventure.

After our youngest daughter graduated from high school, our rambling ranch house seemed to have too many bedrooms and way too much stuff. We came to the decision that it was time for a new setting for our family. Children had moved out; parents had passed on, but so many of their belongings remained behind with us! We did not need to move all of it with us to a new house.

Despite my wholehearted enthusiasm for the move, the sorting process was an emotional one for me. We discarded some and donated so much. It was time consuming because every item I touched had a story or attendant memory. I laughed a lot, cried some and at the end had reduced our “stuff” dramatically. I have to be honest though: I am nobody’s decluttering advisor. My new home still has (hidden) boxes of children’s artwork and a tote of toys I snuck over for yet unborn grandchildren. I am a work in progress.

My biggest worry in moving was the reaction of our three children. I wanted them to still feel like our home was their family home, even if they didn’t spend their growing up years in it. My worries turned out to be groundless. We shared memories of trick-or-treating adventures, parties and Christmas gatherings. After all the cathartic conversation though, my oldest daughter wrapped it up with, “This has been a great house. But every house we have lived in has been great because it’s the family that makes it a home. The next one will be great too.” Sounds like a Hallmark card, but she was right. What happens in the home has more impact than the zip code it is in or the paint color on the walls.

I think you will enjoy this issue about home and all of the options Tulsa offers. Whether you choose to stay in a home with family history, or opt for a new abode, I hope that you find your home to be a sanctuary this new year.

Best,

Eileen Bradshaw, President and CEO

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