Home, home sweet home. Doesn't that have a magical sound? I have lived in so many houses throughout my life and I have never felt that any of these houses were my home. Many houses were lost to me growing up, I never felt at home or at peace when I was in a new house. I always had a feeling that the house and all of the things within my life could be taken away at a moments notice. I feel that there is a clear difference between a house and a home. It has taken me a very long time to distinguish between the two.

I clarify a house as some place to live, eat, sleep, and pass the time until the next phase of your life begins. Maybe because as a child my parents moved every year, I have had a difficult time realizing that a house can be a home and not just a house. A house to me was some place that was accepted for the moment and there would always be another house, another town, another school, and another set of would be friends. A house does not provide stability, it provides short term answers.

Since I have married and had children, I am now beginning to see a house as being a home. It has taken me twenty years of marriage to view our house as a home. I now understand that a home is not only a place to live, eat, sleep, and pass the time, it is a place that contains love, joy, compassion, happiness, being with loved ones, understanding of each other, and the promise of being there for one another. A home represents also represents stability. Material items are not a house. Items come and go but your loved ones are there to stay. These loved ones are what makes a house a home. I have come to realize that a home is something that is accepted as being comfortable, relaxing, cherished, and safe. It is a place that you cannot wait to get back to after a hard day. It is a place to spend time with loved ones and it is a place to make long-lasting memories.

I never want to have a house again. I love having a home. I feel safe, secure, and most importantly loved within the walls of my home. A true home is not how big it is, or how expensive the belongings are inside. A true home is a place that love is portrayed for everyone living inside.

Home sweet home, this saying does have a magical sound. My wish is for everyone in the world to be able to find a home of their own, to find peace and happiness, and to find someone to love with no questions asked. Then and only then will the true meaning of home can be comprehended.

Learn more about this author, Cynthia Sherman.
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