Love, Timing and a New Place to Hang My Heart
When I met my late husband Matt more than nine years ago, one of the first things I learned was his affinity for the Michigan lakeshore, and specifically Spring Lake.
He’d been a “Laker” since fifth grade, when his family moved to this wonderful lakeside community, and he never missed a chance to talk about it. The memories. The little league baseball. The hometown friends who became brothers.
As I fell in love with Matt, I fell in love with Spring Lake, too.
We got married on the beach along Lake Michigan, tucked between Spring Lake and Grand Haven. And even once life got busy with our new blended family, nonstop kids’ activities and everything happening back home in Grand Rapids, we still made it a point to get out to the lakeshore whenever we could.
Date nights. Family beach days. Boat rides with those “brothers” and their families.
We often went to Spring Lake to celebrate Matt’s birthday on the boat with friends, soaking up the place he loved most. A few years ago, I gave him a framed map of Spring Lake for his birthday. He proudly hung it in our home office in Grand Rapids—a daily reminder of his favorite lakeshore spot, just 40 minutes west.
Fast forward to a month or two ago. It had been more than two years since Matt passed, and I was staring down a new season: empty nester life. I had started talking with my realtor about what might come next. Our Grand Rapids home felt like too much house for just me, and I had always dreamed of living near the water.
So, we made a plan. I would tackle a few projects through the winter, get the house ready and list it in the spring. In the meantime, I would keep an eye on lakeshore homes—not necessarily to buy right away, but to get a feel for what I wanted and where I might land.
Just a few days later, I went to see a house that seemed to check every box. Smaller than my current home. Fenced-in yard for the dog. A view of the water. And in Spring Lake!
The house immediately hugged me back. I felt this strong, steady pull—like Matt was nudging me toward the place he loved so much. I sat with it for a few days, then went back for another look with my family and Matt’s Spring Lake “brothers” (the friends who, along with their wives and kids, have truly become family). I put in an offer, and an hour later it was accepted.
Of course, the timing was wild. I was getting two kids ready to move off to college, prepping my current house to sell and preparing to move myself. But even amid the chaos, my decision felt right. And when I got the Godwink that I would close on my Spring Lake house on August 10 — Matt’s birthday — I knew everything was falling into place.
Tonight, when I unlocked the door to my new home in Spring Lake, I felt it all. Peace. Excitement. Gratitude. And more than anything, Matt.
His “brothers” and their families came over to mark the moment, and together we toasted his birthday in my new Spring Lake home — with his favorite, root beer, of course.
Then we hung up the framed Spring Lake map I had given him years ago for his birthday. The one that used to hang in our Grand Rapids home. The one that always reminded him of the place he loved most.
Now it hangs here.
In Spring Lake.
On his birthday.
It was sweet and surreal and so perfectly Matt. The place that held such a big piece of his heart is now holding the next chapter of mine.
Full circle, indeed.
It's All Part of the Experience 