Sold.

The word was engraved in my mind after my mom broke the news: the lake house

sold. While it appears insignificant that my family’s lake house no longer belongs to us, it feels

as though a huge part of my childhood sold as well. Every single summer of my life, my

maternal side of the family, consisting of my grandfather and the families of his three children,

traveled to Norris Lake for several weeks. We stayed at the house that my extended family built

with my grandmother’s inheritance money after her demise, making it even more special to us. It

provided a place where my family could come together and enjoy the summer, which brought us

closer than most families. Upon selling the lakehouse, I found myself reflecting on the good

memories with my family, which made me realize, wow, I have changed immensely since the

first vacation at the lake house.

Every summer, boating and swimming with my family would encompass my life for

several weeks. The feeling of hitting waves from another boat while listening to my uncle’s

blaring music will always be cemented in my mind. Playing silly made-up games with my

cousins when we got bored will remain one of my favorite memories, along with tasting all sorts

of ice cream flavors and ranking the best. Spending time with my cousin, and best friend, Olivia

for the entirety of every trip. Laughing at my cousin Caden when he fails to ski. Discovering new

parts of the lake. Making memories. Swimming. Relaxing. While I cherished these moments

during my vacations, only after the house sold did I realized its true deep effect on my life.

The time spent at Norris Lake allowed me to realize how much I value my family. My

brother, cousins, and I formed countless memories from all of the summers spent together. As

friends come and go, I have realized that my brother and cousins have been and always will be

constant friends in my life. I grew to value the significance of building this house in honor of my

grandmother. Because we built the house with money from her passing, it was important to me
that my family bonded at the lake and made the most out of our time there. With the copious

amount of memories made by my family at Norris Lake, I feel that my family is much closer

than we would be if the house was never built. Although it saddens me that we sold the house, I

am proud of how much I have grown from being close to my family.

I have learned a considerable amount from selling the house as well as from taking

annual trips there. Because we no longer own a house at Norris Lake, my family can now

explore new places, as opposed to visiting the same place every summer. My family will

continue to be closer than most families, as we all live in close proximity and see each other

often. Family is constant. I realized that selling our house will not break our family bond, as the

memories will always be with us. Vacations at the lake hold a great amount of my childhood, but

as the lake house has been sold, I am excited to participate in new activities with my family in

the future. One day, I hope to take my future children to a place where they will realize the value

of family, just as my parents did for me.