Recently we moved and I have been busy working and working on settling in our new home. I have purchased some cute curtains, towels, rugs, and other items that make a house our home. Some call it nesting, a normal process when one looks at where one lives and considers how to make the home feel like their home rather than simply shelter. I found it interesting as I had not really done that in our last home. Was it a conscious or unconscious decision not to truly make the house a home? I did put up pictures and unpack boxes, but there was no feeling of 'ownership' of the space that we lived in. We simply resided in the home without a connection.
Our youngest son left two boxes packed for the 13.5 months we lived there. No matter how much he was teased by his brother about his unpacking he refused to unpack those last two boxes. When we made the decision to move from that house his comment that it was good thing he never finished unpacking and how quickly the rest of his things could be packed was telling of his state of mind regarding living in the house.
This says a lot about the connection one has with the house one chooses to live in. One could ask if one chooses a home or if the home chooses us to live in. I ask and I find the answer confusing to say the least. I asked some ladies I know what they thought about this question and their answers were interesting to say the least. One friend told of a house they purchased that did NOT feel like a home no matter what they did to the house. Since they purchased the house they had to wait until they could sell the house. When they did sell the house they made sure the home they purchased 'felt' like home. Another friend told me that she loved the house they had lived in for 19 years and tried to find one that had their personality 'style' when they moved to South Carolina. She would walk into a house and know immediately that it was not for her or her family and walk right back out. When she pulled up to the house she lives in now, she knew immediately it was her house. A third friend stated that their houses have personality, just not hers. She buys new furniture all the time but it just doesn't have the feel of their home no matter what 'personal' items she places inside. I can relate to each of their answers.
As I look at the pictures I hung on the wall of our children from infancy to their current ages I am amazed at how much the heart influences the home. I see photographs of our oldest a few weeks from being three years old holding his four week old brother in front of a fireplace decorated for Christmas and remember some of the Christmas traditions we developed over the years no matter what 'home' we celebrated in, ours or our families. I see a picture of our youngest at three and our oldest at six wearing hockey gear waiting by our vehicles in our front yard ready for a new hockey season. I see artwork from both boys framed reminding me of the kitchen table that was colored on and under from the time they held their first crayons. These are the memories that will make a house a home. Since moving in this home, we have begun to make many new memories. As the last box was unpacked this weekend and our home represents our personality, our family we feel settled in and content. And that is a great feeling.
Taking care of the written word,
Dannielyn
Our youngest son left two boxes packed for the 13.5 months we lived there. No matter how much he was teased by his brother about his unpacking he refused to unpack those last two boxes. When we made the decision to move from that house his comment that it was good thing he never finished unpacking and how quickly the rest of his things could be packed was telling of his state of mind regarding living in the house.
This says a lot about the connection one has with the house one chooses to live in. One could ask if one chooses a home or if the home chooses us to live in. I ask and I find the answer confusing to say the least. I asked some ladies I know what they thought about this question and their answers were interesting to say the least. One friend told of a house they purchased that did NOT feel like a home no matter what they did to the house. Since they purchased the house they had to wait until they could sell the house. When they did sell the house they made sure the home they purchased 'felt' like home. Another friend told me that she loved the house they had lived in for 19 years and tried to find one that had their personality 'style' when they moved to South Carolina. She would walk into a house and know immediately that it was not for her or her family and walk right back out. When she pulled up to the house she lives in now, she knew immediately it was her house. A third friend stated that their houses have personality, just not hers. She buys new furniture all the time but it just doesn't have the feel of their home no matter what 'personal' items she places inside. I can relate to each of their answers.
As I look at the pictures I hung on the wall of our children from infancy to their current ages I am amazed at how much the heart influences the home. I see photographs of our oldest a few weeks from being three years old holding his four week old brother in front of a fireplace decorated for Christmas and remember some of the Christmas traditions we developed over the years no matter what 'home' we celebrated in, ours or our families. I see a picture of our youngest at three and our oldest at six wearing hockey gear waiting by our vehicles in our front yard ready for a new hockey season. I see artwork from both boys framed reminding me of the kitchen table that was colored on and under from the time they held their first crayons. These are the memories that will make a house a home. Since moving in this home, we have begun to make many new memories. As the last box was unpacked this weekend and our home represents our personality, our family we feel settled in and content. And that is a great feeling.
Taking care of the written word,
Dannielyn
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