Gift of Three Childhood Houses

(Sunday, September 4, 2022, my father’s 89th birthday) first quarter moon Sagittarius / tarot Death

I’m in the Fridley neighborhood where I grew up. My parents’ house still sits on the hill, and they are there, standing outside the kitchen door, near the patio. We are all at our current ages but the neighborhood feels like childhood time, as the trees are young and the sun is very bright. No shade in a sand prairie.

My sister Jo is coming but is not there yet. She sends me an email about a friend who is trying to buy a house. I see that the friend needs to use a particular computer app. I start to reply to Jo’s email, but am called to the house across the street. My parents are gifting me and perhaps my siblings with this house. Workers are there to paint the eaves and the siding. I roam about the yard and think about what color to paint.

Surprisingly, the other house across another street is also a gift from my parents. The woman Karen Jones who owned it and who we grew up with has moved on to Maine. Workers are painting this house too. Old tan paint is getting scraped off of the eaves, which will be painted pure white.

Jo has finally arrived. We stand in mom and dad’s driveway, chatting. I explain to her about the realty app. Then we discuss what colors to paint the outside of the houses, charcoal grey and midnight navy. Our parents will be moving on and their house will be a gift as well. The designer side of me is comfortable with adding charm to the houses. I am glad that the hard, physical chores are getting done by professionals. The three small 50s-era ramblers were built by the same company and the floor plans are nearly identical.

Even in the dream I wonder if this is a metaphor for my parents’ will. It feels like gratitude.