Home, Sweet Home – Part 3

Photo by Zach Reiner on Unsplash

Full disclosure. I just moved into a new home. It’s beautiful. It’s a gift. It’s better than I deserve. But you won’t see much of me posting all its cool decorative features. That. Drives. Me. Crazy. No one needs to see everyone’s pictures of the latest and greatest. Yay! if God blesses you… and there’s no judgment if you like posting everything. But I’m just sayin’: There are a lot more people feeling down about seeing your pictures than there are feeling excited. 

Prior to re-establishing a home, I’ve lived in a weed-smelling apartment in Atlanta, GA, a home in Cleveland, OH, a quaint 1 room guest house, and a retirement home. (I could write a book on what God taught me in each, but who has time for that?!) Our new home is currently a cross between Christmas and a nightmare – every time I go into the garage, I discover something I haven’t seen in over three years. Some of it has been dearly missed and some of it should have been thrown away five moves ago.

However, I know that in every single location, no matter how big or small, I wanted to create a sense of home for my husband and children. Only one of the locations really had any chance at all, but it didn’t keep me from trying in the others. Could I replicate the scent of our old home? Could I hang the pictures that reminded them of normality? Could I add some great bedding to make it feel welcoming? 

The absence of a home taught me what I might have argued with before: a home matters. Not the price, nor the neighborhood… but the sense of being settled and the sense of familiarity. 

As we slowly establish this new home, it will never house my children on a permanent basis. Yet them having a place to call home still matters. Regardless of where you live, treasure it. Make it yours. Ours is new and shiny, but the truth is that they’re all made of drywall and wood and paint. What’s important is the environment you create in that house. Your heart is what matters. Creating a safe space is what matters. Don’t be fooled by the features and furnishings. Let what amazes people be how they feel when they leave your home.