This question was very appropriate, and sad, for me today, because today I had to say goodbye to the place in my life that always brought me instant "peace"--my grandparents' home. My photo is of my grandfather's machine shop, which he built on his property when he came home from World War II. My grandmother always told the story how she saved money for him to buy suits to get a job when he got home, and he took the money and went and bought second-hand lumber to begin his project. The shop was originally built for my grandfather and his brother, the "racer", to work on their stock cars. After the stock car phase was over, he began to build his business and his "collection". My grandfather was a machinist by trade, leaving high school for an apprenticeship at the local textiles. He was the smartest man I ever knew, and my grandmother the strongest woman. Having living through the depression, there was nothing they couldn't overcome, and nothing they ever took for granted, including each other. They were married for 70 years. Their home, including my grandfather's shop, was my sanctuary. The place where no matter what was happening, suddenly everything was ok thanks to their welcoming arms and insightful words. Two years after my grandfather's death (my grandmother 5 years before him), our family finally sold their home, and tomorrow is settlement. Today, I had to go and say goodbye to my place of "peace".
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