What Makes a House a Home?

What Makes a House a Home?

Our bathroom remodel began in May.  It is September.  Not completed yet.  Enough said.

Today I dragged laundry from the dryer to another room to fold. I was watching HGTV while I was folding.  On this particular program a main level was being redone completely in three days.  THREE DAYS!  As I looked at the laundry spread out over my sofa, my blood began to boil--just slightly!  Where is my laundry room?  The one where I can fold and iron-if I ever decide to do that chore.

At that moment all I could see were the faults of this house.  And there certainly are faults.  We have spent over 30 years redoing, redoing, redoing.  Each time we complete one project, we know we have to start another.  The bathroom will be the last one--ever!  Except maybe connect my shop to the house??

As the remodel project on tv droned on and on, I finished the folding, put items in their appointed place and took the basket back to the washer/dryer.  Ready for the next round of folding.  By that time I was a little calmer.  Maybe this isn't such a bad place to live after all, I thought. What?? Am I giving in to my softer side?  No, just recognizing that I have a home.

Recently we have begun attending open houses.  I love to see how rooms are put together.  Love to feel the flow.  And I think it would be great to move into a house that needed nothing but decorating.   Maybe one that even has a laundry room.   Lovely thought.

Meanwhile, back to reality.  I suppose every house has its own set of challenges.  Some just more than others.

A question popped into my mind.  Does a laundry room make a house a home?  When I thought about it like that, it seemed a goofy question.  No, it doesn't.  It simply makes it an easier place to do the everyday chores that have to be done.  So, what does make a house a home?

How about memories?  How about times shared?  How about all the love that fills each room?  How about all the people who have come and gone through the front doors?  How about all the tears shared when sorrow filled the rooms?  How about decisions made that would change the course of lives?  How about arguments that ended in a way through or around a challenging situation?  How about holidays?  How about decorated Christmas trees?  How about fires in the fireplace on a cold evening?  How about the smell of chocolate chip cookies wafting through the rooms calling the family to a special treat?  Yes, how about?  How about all those times the house was filled with teens working on musicals or plays or whatever?

Yes, I would like a shiny new home.   I would enjoy an open flow of rooms.  It would be great to have large rooms to design small intimate areas for conversation or reading.  In my mind's eye, that looks so wonderful.  But, that new house would hold no memories.  It would not have any paint chipping from door frames where we moved the furniture one more time.  It probably wouldn't have a huge yard for kids to hit soft balls or tennis balls or have a treasure hunt.

Then again, memories are made day by day.  Hopefully, there is lots of time to create new memories.  I like that idea.  And I like the idea of a laundry room.

Take the clean clothes out, put them on the folding table, fold away!!  Just like on tv.