I am a nester. I love my home, and I have loved each home that I’ve lived in. There is a part, deep inside of me that I can’t even describe that connects to a place, drives my guts to make it personal, and is drawn to it each morning as I wake up and each day on my way home from work or travel.
What makes my home special is not just that it’s a 1920 Craftsman bungalow, or that it’s planted smack between two of the best neighbors anyone could dream up, or that it’s filled with junk and stuff and memories that make us happy. It's the investment in our daily dreams that make this home special. Our time and effort...the resources of mind and body are as much a part of this home as the original hexagon tile in the bathroom and the built in cubbies that still remain.
It is in gladness that we endeavor daily with hard work and time and effort. We feel a responsibility to maintain these 1500 square feet so that someday, another family may have the opportunity to make it their dream and desire. We are merely stewards of this little estate.
We could be practical. Especially at our ages. We could hire someone to paint for us. Or choose siding over cedar shakes. Or find a low-maintenance patio home.
But no. With every nail and every brush stroke and each fix and makeover, we are committed to not only making our house a home, but handing it down to another generation to preserve and love.
And while moth and rust will eventually destroy, and not one splinter or nail will go with us to heaven...to make a house a home is a blessing and a joy that we get to share together…right now.
What makes your house a home?
These are lovely sentiments. It's nice to do things yourself. There is a real satisfaction making something and being self-sufficient in little ways.
ReplyDeleteMy family would probably say that food coming out of the kitchen is what makes our house a home. They do like to eat. I am off to make scones:-)
The people in it.
ReplyDeleteAnd the hateful leaky kitchen taps. Wait no, wrong list!
I chose all my nesting things with care and make them with care and it's nice to feel that my home is "me" (leaky taps excluded)
As Fireman puts new drywall in every room and ceiling, over 29 years....
ReplyDeleteit becomes a home
As I brought my babies home from the hospital it became our home...
as we bury our beloved pets' ashes in the yard, It becomes OUR home
as we return to it from a trip away...it is ever our home
What a lovely post! I'm a renter, and have only been in my apartment since June, but I'd like to think that what makes a house a home is the hospitality and love inside it. Our goal is to make anyone who steps inside feel at home, and to open our home to folks who are passing through the city as often as possible.
ReplyDeleteAs Elizabeth said, The people in it. For me, that's it.
ReplyDeleteThat said - I would LOVE a 1920's Craftsman bungalow. My dream house!
ReplyDelete