This is from the heart, a true and meaningful story about life, death, and the pursuit of kindness. We purchased our home in 2005, at a time when we had two other homes. This particular property spoke to us on many levels: location, price, a wonderful surrounding, and a magnificent view of an enormous broadleaf maple the likes of which which I’d never seen! This tree in our neighbor’s yard could be seen through our windows and provided the most amazing canopy of leaves that shaded our grounds and protected our plantings. It created a glorious atmosphere: This larger-than-life tree had stood tall for its over 100 years of providing a playground for birds, squirrels, frolicking bunnies, and crafty raccoons.
Fast forward to a blustery day in April … The alteration of the tree by a too-tight cable installed a year earlier changed the course of nature and caused this magnificent tree to snap instead of sway — and because it was tangled amongst the broken cables, it swung around on the tether and the cables pulled the tree backward and directly upon our home. The moral of this story is to not mess with Mother Nature; had the tree naturally swayed (as it had done for decades) it would have been fine, and our house would still be intact!
As my phone blew up with golfers calling me to tell me an enormous tree was now atop my home, my world of showing property instantly became a world of sheer panic, I called my insurance company only to discover that the call center for our home owner's policy was closed on the weekend! (I was relegated to having to file a claim with the automotive claim center!) So, I waited and waited and waited in queue for an insurance representative in the automotive claim department to assign a claim number for my damaged home.
The process of removing the tree took several days and several cranes and kept us penned up in our home. Just prior to the tree falling, my father-in-law passed away. Access to the ferry we needed to take to make a flight to his funeral was delayed. We missed that ferry, our flight, and … the funeral. But wait there’s more! We did make it to Michigan, and we did attend part of the service the next day.
What we experienced throughout this saga was humanity at its best: At the airport, people made room for us at the front of the security line and Delta opened its lounge to us which made spending the night at the airport the best it could be. We crossed paths with so much kindness that our faith in mankind was restored during this unfortunate series of events. We attended the final service for my father-in-law, and also were able to spend time with my mom who was struggling but still living in her home at 91. That turned out to be short-lived, as Mom then passed away the following month.
I feel a renewed drive to look for the positive aspect, to count my blessings, and to show up for each and every experience with gratitude. After leaving Michigan and returning to the destroyed state of our home, it became apparent there’s only one way to march forward: carefully, intentionally, and with realistic expectations.
I spend a tremendous amount of time running interference for clients and trying to mitigate surprises; these skills are more easily availed when you’re not the one being affected. I returned to Michigan the next month just days prior to my mother’s passing. As much as we try to prepare for these events, they catch us off-guard — the sting of loss is real, making a tree landing on your home irrelevant in the big picture.
While this is a bit raw and isn't upbeat, it is a slice of life — and death. The process of recovering from the death of two parents and the destruction of a significant portion of your home provides amazing perspective. Count your blessings, embrace all the lovely people you encounter who hold out a hand, send a card, and lend an ear: It all really matters!
Take care,
Bainbridge Island real estate over the past 30 days
- 47 Active residential listings
High $9,995,000, Median $1,385,000
Low $369,000, Average days on market 23 - 8 Cancelled residential listings
High $9,875,000 Median $1,012,450
Low $725,000, Average days on market 74 - 4 Expired residential listings High $1,198,000 Median $1,012,450
Low $975,000 Average days on market 180 - 1 Contingent listing
High $1,250,000, Median $1,250,000
Low $1,250,000, Days on market 14 - 32 Pending listings
High $6,498,000, Median $1,337,000
Low $369,000, Average days on market 26 - 1 Pending BU listing
High $3,600,000, Median $3,600,000
Low $3,600,000,
Days on market 91 - 3 Pending Inspection
High $860,000, Median $535,000
Low $415,000,
Average days on market 23 - 46 Sold residential listings
High $5,250,000, Median $1,525,000
Low $241,000, Average days on market 36 - 3 Sold unlisted property
High $2,600,000 Median $2,450,000
Low $1,600,000,
Average days on market 0 - 4 Active vacant land listings
High $875,000, Median $352,500
Low $175,000 Average days on market 25
