64 King

Its the end of an era. The doors of 64 King are closing (to me, anyway) and there will never be new memories made there by me or the ones I love. That's sad, its a little hard to believe, but its necessary. 

Since Palmer died Amy has wrestled back and forth about what to do with the house. With each month that passed since his death, it was as if the house was losing its life too. There were dozens of people who lived there between when I left in 2007 and now - many of them not such great tenants. There have been good things that have taken place under that roof since Palmer's death, I'm sure, its just been harder to see them.

Granted, this house is merely a structure of walls, floors, a roof and rooms just like any other house, but from the first time I set foot inside it, it wasn't like other houses. As Blinn puts it, its a thin space, a place where heaven meets earth and the spirit of God is most powerful. Its the place where I was able to wrestle with God in a very real, life-changing way. Its where I made new friends, cooked countless meals, shared stories, shed tears, laughed laughs, received healing. Last but not least, its the place where I met my beloved. Little did I know by going to gathering that early-autumn evening that one person would change me forever. I went from being Kelli Shearron to Kelli and Blinn to Mrs. Matt Blinn, to a mother of three. A thin space, indeed.

On Thursday, July 26th, Amy invited Landing Place folks over for one final gathering. We shared a simple potluck meal around the table and told stories about when we met the Palmers for the first time, our first impressions of LP, our first visits to the house, etc. and it was wonderful. We shared the bread and the cup, we read prayers from Celtic Daily Prayer. In many ways, it was just like the old days and yet, it was completely different. Heather mentioned that of the people there that night (MacCaugheys, Fezes and us), six people met and fell in love and between us, seven babies were created. That's amazing! Jenn and Mark would love that and its such a testament to the vision they had of Landing Place taking the world by storm. Sure, we're not doing life together in the way we'd all hoped a few years ago, nor have our spiritual journeys always been picture perfect, but we are still in relationship and we're all still striving for a the Jesus who saves and redeems.  The night was a little more emotional than I thought it'd be, but I'm so, so glad we were able to be together. I need closure for things like this and now I feel like I can really let go and move on. 

64 King Avenue, Columbus, Ohio. So much more than just an address, just a house.