“Home is the place, where,
when you have to go there, they have to take you in.”
Robert Frost
The concept of “home” is much
on my mind. With all the Christmas songs
about being home for Christmas, I’m much aware that it’s been just a few months
since we moved from our home of 26 years, where we raised our two daughters. My
husband and I have been quite deliberate about turning our new house into a
home.
But, what is home?
By the time I was 13-years
old I had lived nine places – apartments, rental properties, and finally a
house my parents purchased. Among all
those stops – from Texas to West Virginia to Virginia to Texas to Virginia and,
finally, to California – I kept looking for home.
I experience strong feelings
of home and belonging when I return to my mother’s hometown. My younger
daughter moved there for graduate school; visiting her gives me an excuse to
return to my old haunts and sensations. The town holds vivid memories of love
and laughter and family ties.
It is where the family roots
are. And, it’s where they grow deep into nurturing soil.
My relatives, after
decades of absence, like Robert Frost wrote, took me in.
That’s the feeling –
belonging – that my husband and I are striving for in our new house.
Comfortable guest beds, to be sure, but also good food, drink, conversation,
and cheer. But, most of all, we want our visitors to feel welcome.
Our daughters will both be
here for this transitional Christmas. The old house was home. The new house has
their Christmas stockings and ornaments. And us. I’m pleased they are telling
their friends they are going home for Christmas. Even if they stumble over the
word “home.” That tells me that home is where you find your traditions, unconditional
acceptance, and love.
What is your definition of
home?
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