Something New

In 1946, Charles Edward Poulsen finished building his home in Springville, Utah. The house, complete with his wife’s favorite rose bushes, was a constant in their lives. Today, they offer familial support from beyond the grave by passing down the home to later generations. Charles is my husband’s great grandfather, and we have been blessed to be able to live in the Springville home following our marriage in May of 2021. The brick house and property it comes with have been around longer than we have been alive, yet as inexperienced college-aged newlyweds, we are now it’s newest stewards.

I am familiar with these common objects, with what grows in the yard, and with my partner—but at the same time I’m not. They now take on new meaning, they serve different purposes, and they hold new titles. Young newlyweds are rarely counseled on the navigation of new roles in their lives and their homes, but under all the change, there are constants that we must search for. Constants that keep us grounded and steady, as a deep rooted rose bush withstanding decades of changing seasons.