Sure, it’s cliché, but don’t blog post titles generally fall into that category? That aside, I believe there are more “H’s” than just Heart that make up a Home.
In 2010, I got married. Home was suddenly not where I grew up, but where my husband was. For several months that meant “home” was a camping trailer parked in our future house. It made for interesting challenges like cooking meals in either a microwave or on the stove top, doing dishes with the garden hose and surviving a Missouri fall with no heat. As newly-weds we made it work and celebrated having each other. For those few months, the camper was home.
While we were living in the camper we were building on our house. It defiantly hadn’t taken on the characteristics of a home yet. We put in drywall, painted like crazy, laid flooring, and finally got heat. We gave up the camper and moved into the far from finished house, celebrating each other, real walls and heat. With a bed on the floor, we were home.
After ba-hum-bugging all things Christmas, my husband surprised me with Christmas lights and a Christmas tree. Some might see it as a silly gesture or a waste of cash, but to me it brought hope. We might be roughing it, still waiting for a kitchen sink, and working our butts off, but we had each other, walls and a roof over our heads. We had heat to keep us warm and could look forward to a future full of family gatherings and holiday celebrations. It really felt like home, construction dust and all.
I’ll be the first to admit that as things progress on the house, it gets harder and harder to keep pressing forward. So what if the trim isn’t done and the closet still needs shelves. We’re happy. There’s a house to return to each night, a husband waiting, heat to keep the whistling wind at bay and hope for the future. We’re really enjoying life. It makes it that much harder to keep building and working. We’d love to just stand back and say, “Look at how far we’ve come,” but we’re not done yet. Even though we're happy, no one else would see it as a home.
In case you missed me proclaiming the news from the roof top (walk-way) via facebook, the horses got to come home on Thanksgiving. A year, almost to the day, after we moved into the house, the horses got to join us. I get to kiss three furry muzzles goodnight and I’m greeted by whickers in the morning. Sure, for now it means early mornings, scooping poop by flashlight, and absolutely no life, but they are here, a goal I’ve had for years. The horses are home.
A husband, a house, heat, hope, happiness and horses. Sounds like a home to me, but the final piece fell into place Thanksgiving. Hospitality. We had the privilege of having both sets of parents, some grandparents, siblings, and aunts over for Thanksgiving. With a table full of twelve, a kitchen full of smells, and a barn full of horses our house was christened as our home. For once people came to us, instead of us traveling to them. Our family came to our home.
So, Home isn’t just where the Heart is. Or is it? Home has many components and they vary from person to person. Some want a place they can decorate. Some want a place to have kids. Some look forward to being able to dance in their underwear and some just want a place to feel secure. Whatever it is that makes your home, remember if you look deep enough you’ll find your heart as well. That’s my Fresh Perspective on Home. Enjoy yours this Holiday Season.
No comments:
Post a Comment