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All of us wish to turn a house into a home, but what does "home" mean to each of us, exactly? Does it simply describe the place that we return to? Is it the place we feel most comfortable in? Must this place have a certain amount of personal memories in order to be called our "home"?

Home, to me, is all of these things. In my life so far, I have had two homes, and the most important one to me is the one that my parents currently live in right now. Our first "home" was a one-story house in the suburbs of Los Angeles. It was a quaint house, and it was special in its own right. My siblings and I had a big backyard to play in, and our dogs could run around as much as they pleased. It was "home" to me because I grew up in that house; it was, necessarily, my home for almost thirteen years.

I did not realize how important this house was to me until my parents were getting ready to sell it. I realized that I would probably never set foot again in the house that I loved so much, the house that became, for me, a "home." I remembered going through the door everyday coming home from school. I thought about my first bedroom, which to me had become the perfect safe haven from the rest of the world.

On the other hand, my parents were getting ready to move into their new "home." How did I know it was already a home for them? Because they felt that it satisfied their dream of living in a large house away from the city. My father, especially, loves this second home because it, and the surrounding neighborhood, relaxes him. I do, too.

To me this new home stands apart from my first home because it signifies a culmination. Whether that culmination is part of my parents' "American dream" or my own, I don't know. But, in effect, living in that house for the past two years has already turned it into a home. I can recall memories from our first home, but the memories in this one seem to stand out more because we are the first owners of this house.

And, whenever I come home from college, I always feel a sense of relief as the car pulls up to the corner of the street and I see the familiar facade that I have come to love. I immediately feel comfortable. I feel at ease, and it seems as though my family and I are in a whole different world.

Home may have different, specific meanings for everyone, but it can be agreed that "home" signifies any place that holds special value for you and your family.

Learn more about this author, Joan Inong.
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