Last June, we moved to Knoxville. In December, I got a call from my mama. She said my Mamaw was not doing well. I said, "I'm on my way", packed a bag with 4 days worth of clothes and drove to JC. I stayed in Johnson City for nearly two weeks caring for my family. I had the profound honor of caring for my Mamaw in her final days. It is one of the most special things I have ever done. I will forever hold those memories in my heart.
She was one heck of a woman. She lived most of her life without her mama. She lived over half of her life without her husband. She raised five children. She loved many grandchildren, great grandchildren, and even great-great grandchildren. I was her "little dumplin'", which I always thought was the most special and of course, that meant I was her favorite. As an adult, I can see how she treated us all so special, we all thought we were her favorite. (I actually was though. Don't tell my cousins!)
The Williams Family of seven moved into the house on Myrtle Avenue in 1959. Mamaw and my papaw rented the house from the Hancock Family for $45 per month until August 7, 1973, when they purchased it for $10. It is the single most constant thing in my life, besides my family. When my Mamaw passed away on December 8, 2020, the decision was made to sell her house. I knew I had to buy it.
After lots of careful thought, Scott and I decided to buy it from my family.
We closed on March 26, 2021 and began the journey of renovation and restoration of this old house. This blog will document our journey into home renovation. Foremost, our intention is to honor the legacy of this home and I will sprinkle the history of this house and our family into our story along the way.
Myrtle is a genus of evergreen flowering plants, with dark green glossy leaves and white or purple flowers. Some species have tiny purple-black berries. Myrtles are fragrant plants. They have long been used in the wedding bouquets of British royalty. According to the Smithsonian Institute, myrtles have been used in every royal wedding bouquet since Queen Victoria wed Prince Albert in 1840. Most recently, a sprig of myrtle was in the bouquet of Meghan Markle when she married Prince Harry.
A little about Myrtle:
The myrtle is symbolic of community, peace and love/marriage. If you knew the Williams family, you were part of our community - a place of constant welcoming, whether you were a blood relative, a friend, a friend-of-a-friend, an ex-spouse; all were welcome. It was a place of love. My aunt and uncle were even married on the front porch in 1993!
Renovating and restoring this old house is certainly a labor of love for Scott and I. We are several weeks in, and I can tell you...it has been an adventure. I'm pretty sure that is our love language for one another - adventure. We are always doing or trying something new. I am grateful to be doing this with him. He is my partner in all things. He recently said to me, "We fail together and we succeed together." Isn't that what lasting love is?
Isn't it interesting how the universe weaves things together, mostly while we are blissfully unaware?
Our blog background is a photo of creeping myrtle with purple flowers to represent the Myrtle House.
In Judaism, the myrtle is one of four sacred plants. When speaking of the myrtle, Ester said, "As the myrtle spreads fragrance in the world, so did she spread good works." Our blog address "build good works" comes from this saying. It is my sincere hope to build good work in this house as our first. Who knows where we go from here!? 😉
So join us along this journey. I am excited to reveal our progress and our lessons along the way. I am sure to include some stories because I really just love telling stories. 💙
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