I’m with Camilla—and I know how grounding it is to be able to articulate such a shift in the midst of living it. I can almost wade into the lake with you…. may you thrive alongside the new neighbors and nature for years to come.
Thank you, Christina. I'm loving being a west coast girl again and knowing that you are just a little ways north of me -- well, probably more than a little ways -- but hey, we're in the same time zone!
I'm loving exploring the area and finding new trails and beauty. This is home. Sending you love, my friend. I appreciate you.
"As you start to walk on the way, the way appears."--Rumi. So glad you have found your new path, Stephanie, in a new place, on a new journey. Thank you for sharing the way with us.
Rumi quotes are just the best. They’re so multi-layered. I am so grateful for your presence in my life, Susan and for all the things I learn about writing from you. Forever will you be in my heart. Big hugs from California.
What a wonderful post! So full of tenderness, discovery and that slow unfurling of a brand new life. Reading about your move, your hotel‑camping, your daily visits to the house as she becomes more herself ... reminded me so much of my own transition here to Substack. For in many ways, leaping off Facebook carousel felt like leaving one landscape for another ... stepping into my own kind of writing‑California, where the air was clearer and the neighbours so much kinder.
Like you, I found myself learning the essentials: where to wander, wonder, where to rest and read, who feels like home. And slowly, over these past eighteen months, I’ve met my own "neighbours" here ... kindred spirits who feel like the right street at the right time. It’s all a work in progress, of course, but a beautiful one!
Wishing you love and joy in every step of this unfolding. May your new house greet you like an old friend finally ready to open her door.
Love and light, always, your poet friend, Deborah 🙏💖✨
What a wonderful analogy -- jumping off of Facebook into a new landscape! That brought a smile to my face. There is something to be said for the richness of new beginnings as well as endings. I'm enjoying feeling my way into the new here; enjoying discovering which trees will share their whispers; enjoying the warmth of a new community. Soon, poetry will birth in this new place. Sending love and light right back to you, a circle of kindred illumination on this path of becoming. You are in my heart, Deborah, dear poet friend.
Oh Stephanie, this is so beautiful🥰 Thank you so much for bringing us into your story.
I found myself smiling all the way through it. There is something deeply moving about the way you describe not simply moving into a new house, but slowly entering into relationship—with the home, the land, the neighbors, and this new chapter of your life. Your words carry such patience and trust, reminding us that "coming home" is as much an inner journey as an outer one.
I especially loved your reflection that gratitude is a product of grit and discipline, determination and surrender. There is so much wisdom in that. And what a gift to be welcomed so wholeheartedly by your new community—it feels as though the universe is affirming that you've arrived exactly where you're meant to be.
Wishing you and your husband every blessing as this beautiful new chapter continues to unfold♥️🔥🙏
Thank you, Camilla. I'm basking in that sense of being in the right place, the place I've wanted to be. So much to take in. Thank you for your sweet blessings. Sending you biggest of hugs dear woman.
I lived in Ohio most of my life. Twenty years ago, I moved to Tampa. i went back to Ohio frequently to visit and when friends there would ask me when i was going back, I would always say, "I'm going back to Tampa on such-and-such a day." And then - about four years ago - a friend asked me when i was going back to Tampa and i said, "i'm going home on Friday." That's when I finally realized my heart and my "new home" were in sync.
One of the all time great mini-stories about finding home. Thank you so much for sharing it here. It will be cherished inspiration for me in my new area. Big hugs, Iris.
There is so much in here that I connect with that I don't even know what to comment about. First of all, I'm so happy for you and your husband to have landed in CA since that is where you have wanted to be. I love that things fell into place for you and now, there you are.
No routine - that is a biggie for me right now. I do not have one. Instead, I face each new day trying to embrace whatever it holds. Today it was a refrigerator that decided to quit working. Not good timing with our impending house closing, packing, sorting and all the other to-do stuff. But this, too, we deal with. Savable food is now on ice as we wait for service tomorrow hoping it can be repaired as it's not that old.
Movers are booked. That's a huge relief. Our move to our new home will be at the end of the month as well. We've decided to tend to most projects it needs once we get there. I love how you put it: "She's like an old friend going through rehab". How perfectly stated. I also love how your neighbors have been so welcoming. One thing I remember so well about CA is how dog friendly it is there. At least it certainly was in San Diego where we used to visit.
It's fun for me to read about your progress. I am right behind you. So much discovering and learning to do.
I'm finding it's helping to be busy as I grieve for my sister and help make plans for her upcoming memorial service. My emotions are still quite jumbled at times, but I have accepted this too.
Thank you for sharing about your big move experience. You are like my personal moving guide. Wishing you all the best as you wait, work, explore, and learn about your new home and surroundings. Hugs to you, sweet friend. xo
So much to this parallel move through time and space; the liminality of waiting, of wondering, the onslaught of hows and whens and whys. All of this played out on a roller coaster —up and down and no straight lines. Somehow I feel you close during this transition, recognizing how connected and close humans are to transitions and planned upheaval, or unplanned chaos. Fridges break. We find out a roof need replacing. The new grocery store is closer and better than the last one. People smile and start short conversations on a walking trail, and one day I know it will all settle into the hum of living what is now such a new, new life. Like yours, one lived without those I’d rather have near by; one that welcomes me into a new chapter; one that holds the promise earned by courage and resilience. Movers are us. Here’s to happy packing and forging new paths. You are in my heart.
"It’s the kind of welcoming and goodwill one dreams about, and here it was in a generosity of heart that moved us deeply. Sometimes the universe punctuates our choices with a clarity of right place at the right time."
I'm so happy for you. What a blessed welcoming you have received. WOW! What a gift. May you find much long-awaited joy and peace in your new home, Steffers. What is home to me? It's where I feel I have a seat at the table, and where I am loved and appreciated. You are well on your way to that and more.
Marilea, thank you for your kind words and your enthusiasm for my long awaited move. May we all be blessed with a seat at the table. Sending you so much love and goodwill, my friend.
Thanks for updating us on the move! It sounds breathtakingly beautiful and difficult. Different sides of the coin of change! I love how your dog goes with the flow......he knows that "home" is where you are and so, he's okay! He meets new people, he swims with new friends, he sniffs all manner of glorious new smells. And, I imagine, he looks to you, looks for you and he is calm. I'm much like I imagine your dog to be....I look for my husband and when I locate him, I am steady and can breathe deep. He is my home!
I love this sweet little story about finding your husband and being awash in steady calm. "He is my home." So beautiful. So blessed. Thank you for this.
I am living this journey vicariously through your posts. How exciting to be on the precipice of this new adventure! I can feel the rightness of it for you and your husband (and Mickey!) May this new vista bring you expansion in the best possible ways. 🌻
Thank you for the kind wishes and goodwill, Rosemary. It is quite the adventure and I'll be glad when the hotel camping part is over! Sending you the biggest of hugs my friend.
Stephanie, you’re such an inspiration. You speak so eloquently of both your trials and your joys. I’m moved by the generosity of your neighbors, the way your dog accepts each moment, your ability to breathe into the challenges you face. Above all, I’m encouraged to live in gratitude—to remember that my blessings already are. Thank you. 🙏🏼
What kind and profound words. I especially love the parting line -- "...to remember that my blessings already are." I'm going to repeat that to myself today. Thank you, Lyssa.
Sounds a wonderful move so far, you are not far from Tahoe where my husband grew up and we've visited many times, how beautiful and to have all that nature surrounding you, sounds perfect.
We moved here for the walking trails, the nature and the lakes. I can't wait to drive to Lake Tahoe. As a much younger woman, I skied there a few times, but I'm wondering now about snow shoeing or cross country skiing in the winter sometime. Thank you for your good will and good wishes, Linda. I appreciate you. Big hugs.
Welcome home Stephanie. It sounds like a perfect neighborhood, so welcoming in all ways. You deserve all of this. "Sometimes the universe punctuates our choices with a clarity of right place at the right time."
So happy for you!!! And I am sure some parts are disorienting. You have been preparing for this. Well done. Always sending love and blessings.
Beautiful, dear friend. Right there with you AND feeling the love (as you can well imagine) for our home here on Whidbey. You've pointed out how important it was to love her through her transition (a year of never-ending renovation) from "what have we done?" to "we're never moving!" You have had your setbacks, but you knew you were headed in the right direction regardless (I mean, come on, fresh squeezed grape juice?!). You have indeed come home: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. You and your big heart are definitely in the right place, right time. Amen.
The fresh pressed grape juice, chilled, said it all. It said welcome home in the first sip. I take delight in watching our house transform into our home and I know that this was all worth the wait. California has been home before and is home again and we are grateful. Biggest hugs my dearest, dearest one. I’m so grateful to share this journey with you.
Wow, Stephanie, your new home sounds so amazing - walking paths, a short jaunt to a lake, nice neighbours! You've hit the jackpot! I am glad you are taking the time to enjoy the silence, and contemplate all the changes you're soaking in.
Sending you good vibes! Welcome to the coast - it's different here.
New beginnings. A time of delight, confusion and wonder. Not to mention a lot of patience! Sounds like you are navigating the transition with an open mind and open heart. Gently, gently, each step forward is one closer to feeling at home.
I’m with Camilla—and I know how grounding it is to be able to articulate such a shift in the midst of living it. I can almost wade into the lake with you…. may you thrive alongside the new neighbors and nature for years to come.
Thank you, Christina. I'm loving being a west coast girl again and knowing that you are just a little ways north of me -- well, probably more than a little ways -- but hey, we're in the same time zone!
I'm loving exploring the area and finding new trails and beauty. This is home. Sending you love, my friend. I appreciate you.
"As you start to walk on the way, the way appears."--Rumi. So glad you have found your new path, Stephanie, in a new place, on a new journey. Thank you for sharing the way with us.
Rumi quotes are just the best. They’re so multi-layered. I am so grateful for your presence in my life, Susan and for all the things I learn about writing from you. Forever will you be in my heart. Big hugs from California.
Dear Stephanie,
What a wonderful post! So full of tenderness, discovery and that slow unfurling of a brand new life. Reading about your move, your hotel‑camping, your daily visits to the house as she becomes more herself ... reminded me so much of my own transition here to Substack. For in many ways, leaping off Facebook carousel felt like leaving one landscape for another ... stepping into my own kind of writing‑California, where the air was clearer and the neighbours so much kinder.
Like you, I found myself learning the essentials: where to wander, wonder, where to rest and read, who feels like home. And slowly, over these past eighteen months, I’ve met my own "neighbours" here ... kindred spirits who feel like the right street at the right time. It’s all a work in progress, of course, but a beautiful one!
Wishing you love and joy in every step of this unfolding. May your new house greet you like an old friend finally ready to open her door.
Love and light, always, your poet friend, Deborah 🙏💖✨
What a wonderful analogy -- jumping off of Facebook into a new landscape! That brought a smile to my face. There is something to be said for the richness of new beginnings as well as endings. I'm enjoying feeling my way into the new here; enjoying discovering which trees will share their whispers; enjoying the warmth of a new community. Soon, poetry will birth in this new place. Sending love and light right back to you, a circle of kindred illumination on this path of becoming. You are in my heart, Deborah, dear poet friend.
Oh Stephanie, this is so beautiful🥰 Thank you so much for bringing us into your story.
I found myself smiling all the way through it. There is something deeply moving about the way you describe not simply moving into a new house, but slowly entering into relationship—with the home, the land, the neighbors, and this new chapter of your life. Your words carry such patience and trust, reminding us that "coming home" is as much an inner journey as an outer one.
I especially loved your reflection that gratitude is a product of grit and discipline, determination and surrender. There is so much wisdom in that. And what a gift to be welcomed so wholeheartedly by your new community—it feels as though the universe is affirming that you've arrived exactly where you're meant to be.
Wishing you and your husband every blessing as this beautiful new chapter continues to unfold♥️🔥🙏
Thank you, Camilla. I'm basking in that sense of being in the right place, the place I've wanted to be. So much to take in. Thank you for your sweet blessings. Sending you biggest of hugs dear woman.
I lived in Ohio most of my life. Twenty years ago, I moved to Tampa. i went back to Ohio frequently to visit and when friends there would ask me when i was going back, I would always say, "I'm going back to Tampa on such-and-such a day." And then - about four years ago - a friend asked me when i was going back to Tampa and i said, "i'm going home on Friday." That's when I finally realized my heart and my "new home" were in sync.
One of the all time great mini-stories about finding home. Thank you so much for sharing it here. It will be cherished inspiration for me in my new area. Big hugs, Iris.
And good luck ‼️
Hi Stephanie,
There is so much in here that I connect with that I don't even know what to comment about. First of all, I'm so happy for you and your husband to have landed in CA since that is where you have wanted to be. I love that things fell into place for you and now, there you are.
No routine - that is a biggie for me right now. I do not have one. Instead, I face each new day trying to embrace whatever it holds. Today it was a refrigerator that decided to quit working. Not good timing with our impending house closing, packing, sorting and all the other to-do stuff. But this, too, we deal with. Savable food is now on ice as we wait for service tomorrow hoping it can be repaired as it's not that old.
Movers are booked. That's a huge relief. Our move to our new home will be at the end of the month as well. We've decided to tend to most projects it needs once we get there. I love how you put it: "She's like an old friend going through rehab". How perfectly stated. I also love how your neighbors have been so welcoming. One thing I remember so well about CA is how dog friendly it is there. At least it certainly was in San Diego where we used to visit.
It's fun for me to read about your progress. I am right behind you. So much discovering and learning to do.
I'm finding it's helping to be busy as I grieve for my sister and help make plans for her upcoming memorial service. My emotions are still quite jumbled at times, but I have accepted this too.
Thank you for sharing about your big move experience. You are like my personal moving guide. Wishing you all the best as you wait, work, explore, and learn about your new home and surroundings. Hugs to you, sweet friend. xo
So much to this parallel move through time and space; the liminality of waiting, of wondering, the onslaught of hows and whens and whys. All of this played out on a roller coaster —up and down and no straight lines. Somehow I feel you close during this transition, recognizing how connected and close humans are to transitions and planned upheaval, or unplanned chaos. Fridges break. We find out a roof need replacing. The new grocery store is closer and better than the last one. People smile and start short conversations on a walking trail, and one day I know it will all settle into the hum of living what is now such a new, new life. Like yours, one lived without those I’d rather have near by; one that welcomes me into a new chapter; one that holds the promise earned by courage and resilience. Movers are us. Here’s to happy packing and forging new paths. You are in my heart.
"It’s the kind of welcoming and goodwill one dreams about, and here it was in a generosity of heart that moved us deeply. Sometimes the universe punctuates our choices with a clarity of right place at the right time."
I'm so happy for you. What a blessed welcoming you have received. WOW! What a gift. May you find much long-awaited joy and peace in your new home, Steffers. What is home to me? It's where I feel I have a seat at the table, and where I am loved and appreciated. You are well on your way to that and more.
Sending love and hugs to an old friend, Marilea
Marilea, thank you for your kind words and your enthusiasm for my long awaited move. May we all be blessed with a seat at the table. Sending you so much love and goodwill, my friend.
Thanks for updating us on the move! It sounds breathtakingly beautiful and difficult. Different sides of the coin of change! I love how your dog goes with the flow......he knows that "home" is where you are and so, he's okay! He meets new people, he swims with new friends, he sniffs all manner of glorious new smells. And, I imagine, he looks to you, looks for you and he is calm. I'm much like I imagine your dog to be....I look for my husband and when I locate him, I am steady and can breathe deep. He is my home!
I love this sweet little story about finding your husband and being awash in steady calm. "He is my home." So beautiful. So blessed. Thank you for this.
I am living this journey vicariously through your posts. How exciting to be on the precipice of this new adventure! I can feel the rightness of it for you and your husband (and Mickey!) May this new vista bring you expansion in the best possible ways. 🌻
Thank you for the kind wishes and goodwill, Rosemary. It is quite the adventure and I'll be glad when the hotel camping part is over! Sending you the biggest of hugs my friend.
Stephanie, you’re such an inspiration. You speak so eloquently of both your trials and your joys. I’m moved by the generosity of your neighbors, the way your dog accepts each moment, your ability to breathe into the challenges you face. Above all, I’m encouraged to live in gratitude—to remember that my blessings already are. Thank you. 🙏🏼
What kind and profound words. I especially love the parting line -- "...to remember that my blessings already are." I'm going to repeat that to myself today. Thank you, Lyssa.
Sounds a wonderful move so far, you are not far from Tahoe where my husband grew up and we've visited many times, how beautiful and to have all that nature surrounding you, sounds perfect.
We moved here for the walking trails, the nature and the lakes. I can't wait to drive to Lake Tahoe. As a much younger woman, I skied there a few times, but I'm wondering now about snow shoeing or cross country skiing in the winter sometime. Thank you for your good will and good wishes, Linda. I appreciate you. Big hugs.
Welcome home Stephanie. It sounds like a perfect neighborhood, so welcoming in all ways. You deserve all of this. "Sometimes the universe punctuates our choices with a clarity of right place at the right time."
So happy for you!!! And I am sure some parts are disorienting. You have been preparing for this. Well done. Always sending love and blessings.
Sending love back to you and I’m so glad that you are back with new stories to tell and new insights to share. I cannot wait to hug you hello!
Beautiful, dear friend. Right there with you AND feeling the love (as you can well imagine) for our home here on Whidbey. You've pointed out how important it was to love her through her transition (a year of never-ending renovation) from "what have we done?" to "we're never moving!" You have had your setbacks, but you knew you were headed in the right direction regardless (I mean, come on, fresh squeezed grape juice?!). You have indeed come home: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. You and your big heart are definitely in the right place, right time. Amen.
The fresh pressed grape juice, chilled, said it all. It said welcome home in the first sip. I take delight in watching our house transform into our home and I know that this was all worth the wait. California has been home before and is home again and we are grateful. Biggest hugs my dearest, dearest one. I’m so grateful to share this journey with you.
Wow, Stephanie, your new home sounds so amazing - walking paths, a short jaunt to a lake, nice neighbours! You've hit the jackpot! I am glad you are taking the time to enjoy the silence, and contemplate all the changes you're soaking in.
Sending you good vibes! Welcome to the coast - it's different here.
Lots of good changes and some quiet afternoons right now with which to digest and adapt. Big hugs, dear woman.
New beginnings. A time of delight, confusion and wonder. Not to mention a lot of patience! Sounds like you are navigating the transition with an open mind and open heart. Gently, gently, each step forward is one closer to feeling at home.
Gentle being a good word and state to keep close by. Thank you, Julie.
So delighted to know you have found a most welcoming new home and neighborhood!
Thank you, Dawn. I’m pretty delighted myself — that’s such a great word, isn’t it? Delight. Big hugs.