Originally Posted by wildyard
I, too, love where I live and have no desire to live anywhere else, ever. I was born and raised in central CA. Met my sailor DH in San Diego and always knew we would head to his native upstate NY sooner or later. It ended up being much later, after living in TN, southern NY, CA, and 19 years in Ohio.
For whatever reason, the very first time he brought me up here to visit, I felt like I had come home and was engulfed by the warmest feeling of peace and contentment. I told him then that I wanted us to live here some day.
He was friends with the man who built our house, and we would come to visit when we were in NY from OH to visit DH's family. I loved this place, the land, and everything about it. I would just sit out in the yard while they visited and feel so calm and happy and peaceful.
When DH's health was going bad because of the stress from his job, we were here in NY visiting his family and took a drive. We knew the old gentleman had passed the year before and that his daughter was living here now so we were just driving by. But there was a for sale sign in the yard and the house was empty. So we got the number and called.
It was 5 years too soon on our life plan of retirement, but DH needed out of the ratrace he was in, and I had a good job. So we threw all caution to the winds and bought the house and the 24 acres of hardwood regrowth woods it sat on. Over the next 2 years, I worked and he commuted back and forth, moving things and getting the house ready for us. I came over for my days off (a 7 hr. drive) and holidays and such.
During that terrible time, I lost my sister and her husband, my brother and my mother. DH lost his mother, who was more like a mother to me than my own was. The only place I found peace was here on the new property.
To this day, all I have to do is look out the windows, or sit out on the swing or bench or steps.. breath in, and let the beauty and peace fill me.
If I have been away, it still happens like it did that first time I visited, when I get within a certain area, I know I am home again, and I am happy.
I don't know if I believe in previous lives but if I did, this would make me think I had lived here before and this is where I will always belong.