The sweetest part of my job.

I had a visit yesterday with my dear 86-year-old client – a retired nurse, who has just downsized to a condo. She served tea in a beautiful cup with time-perfected almond sugar cookies and applesauce cake. I could have sat there all day.   
 
Selling her family’s forever home was an emotional time for her. The house was, naturally, filled with memories of her husband and her family. She knew she would be missing her neighbours  plus the everyday familiarity of the squeak in the hardwood floors, the faucet that never quite gets cold enough, the way the light shines in the bedroom on sunny morning, and the bird that lands outside her kitchen window. Despite all this, she embraced the staging to-do list like a pro. Step by step, and with the encouragement of family, she embraced the selling process with total trust. She knew it was time to leave her staircase behind.
 
I am delighted to say that my client’s fresh new space has brought her so much joy! She’s pleased as punch with the new furniture from her very first Wayfair online order. The new pieces are set against a backdrop of tradition – memories from a happy life in her recently sold home. The home she raised her children in.
 
This lovely woman is amazing and brave and kind! I feel so honoured to go from being her Realtor, to being a friend – not only to her, but to her entire family. She calls me her 'angel’ but really, she’s mine – reminding me of the importance of slowing down and listening – really listening to  people’s needs, and meeting them exactly where they are emotionally. 
 
I am so grateful to the beautiful people I have had the pleasure of working with over the years. I seem to attract clients who I am sad to say, ‘goodbye’ to after daily connection during the frantic buying and selling process. I weave people and families – even their pets – into my own life. I become an intimate part of their lives during one of the most emotion times they will ever experience. I take that responsibility very seriously, and I feel honoured to be so trusted.
 
My friend has made her new stair-free, modern space very much her own. We sat sipping tea and sharing life’s ups and downs. I ate way too many cookies, but it was her stories that filled me with a wealth of sweet wisdom. I felt happy knowing I’d done my job well. I also felt grateful for my new friend.
 
This will be her first Christmas in a condo. I know her neighbours will find comfort in the smell of freshly baked cookies wafting out into the hall. I know I did.