by Brenda Cruz

Created on: February 16, 2010   Last Updated: March 30, 2010

Oh no, a house is most certainly not always a home. A house is a mere structure made for people to live in. A home is what a house becomes once those people have infused it with life and transformed it into their personal dwelling through their presence, belongings and personality, making it uniquely theirs. In short, home is where the heart is.

When someone refers to their place of residence as "their house," it's difficult to picture a cozy, comfortable dwelling. The term "house" is a rather cold reference.  But when they refer to it as "their home," you imagine a warm and personal haven, ridden with the person's personality, style  and aura. The word "home" sounds so much more inviting than "house." "Home" implies the residents have feelings of connection to the dwelling. Home is the central gathering place of a family, even if that family is a young single female and her houseplants.

Of course, that home wasn't always a home. It started out as a house. And things didn't transform by accident. The residents sought that perfect empty nest that would accommodate all they had to bring to the table, so to speak, so that they may make it into the home it becomes. A house is usually put through a rigorous selection process in which it must meet a list of criteria to become the arena in which personal requirements can be satisfied. So the "house" is certainly not immaterial when it comes to one becoming a home. It plays an important role as it fulfills the needs of the residents in its transcending from "house" to "home." 

Now, it must be noted that just as a house is not always a home  - a home is not always a house. Just ask the newlywed couple who lives contently in a condo, or the American Indian family who live comfortably in a teepee or even the happy family of doves who set up shop in a nest atop a redwood. These dwellings are no less homes than that of any affluent family living in a stately colonial in the suburbs.

And finally, this is not to say that a "home" is always filled with serenity and laughter.  Home is simply where everyday living beings have declared  their place to carry out their everyday activities of life- eating, sleeping, cuddling, canoodling, laughing, crying, playing, planning, arguing, loving - whatever those activities may be. It's where you hang your hat, put on your pajamas, feed your young or lay your eggs. Be what it may, It is uniquely your comfort zone and without that single element, no pile of twigs, no patchwork of animal skins, no grand palace on a mountain top, and certainly no house can remotely qualify as home.

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