Sandra Justice Hall December 16, 2019 Once upon a time, at the age of 61, we decided to adopt.  This was not a delayed mid-life crisis, but it was a decision to adopt a  new hometown and to downsize. We were pursuing another dream—to live on the water. In 2006, we purchased a modest ranch home on Lake  Ontario in the town of Huron, NY. We enjoyed it as a getaway for three  years, but the constant upkeep of two homes became too much. Gradually,  we decided to sell our beloved Victorian home and move full time to the  lake.  In 2008 and 2009, we completed several projects to improve the  resale value of our home. We refinished the last of the bedroom floors, had  rooms painted, updated lighting, and tiled the upstairs bathroom. (I am an  avid watcher of HGTV). We began seriously sorting through the basement,  the attic and the second floor of the garage/barn. We had raised two  children here and had planned to live in this home forever. We were, after  all, …

This essay was originally entered into a Real Simple Life Lessons contest. It was not published.The contest topic was to write about how your perspective on a life event has changed you.Positive, constructive feedback is welcome. Please, no inappropriate language. Watermarks The rain was drumming on our metal roof, as it had been fordays that June of 1972. I fell asleep to the loud splat ofraindrops—weaving the sounds into a dream only a twenty-three-year-old might dream. “Life was unfolding as it should. I was startinga teaching job in the fall, my husband would begin his third year ofteaching, we would buy a house, and maybe, just maybe, we’d havechildren. . . . .”Suddenly, a shrill ring interrupted my dream. My husband,Harry, had already leapt out of bed to grab the phone.“Okay, Ben,” I heard him say.Face down in my pillow, I mumbled, “What did my dad want?”“He wants us to know they would be staying with the Dowlings’on the hill during this rainstorm.”“What about your parents?”“I am sure they are all right. I think your …