Houses

This weekend Missy had me watch a movie called "My Life As A House". This was wonderful and touching movie and about a man, his son and the house they are building. I definitely recommend it but I do suggest that you have a box of kleenex with you when you watch it.

This got me to thinking about the houses we live in. Some of us live in big houses and some in small houses. I live in a small house. When we moved into our house 29 years ago it was new. It was our job to create the home that this house was to be. To give the memories that would be stored in the soul of the house.

All of these houses start out the same. It is what we fill them with that makes them a home or just a dwelling for our possessions. I'm not talking about furniture. I'm talking about the feeling that get when you enter a home. Our home was one of those houses that was not quiet. We had two children and numerous animals running around. Our furniture was hand me down. But when I entered that home I always felt love surround me. I hope that is what everyone else felt when they entered that door.

Now the children are gone and the house has a quiet that is totally different from before. It is weathered and worn. Like it's owner. In the last few years, the home has changed. Now it has become a refuge and sanctuary. It is where I go when something is amiss. Either with my mind, spirit or body. It is my safe haven that I can run to, lock the door and feel safe. It is where I can hide from the rest of the world. The house and I have grown old together.

But even though the house is my sanctuary and retreat, it is still a home. A place where my children can come. A place where they can return to their childhoods. It is their place of comfort when needed. And on special occassions, like Christmas, it is the return to memories and traditions that are so important to a family.

Now the house is making new memories with a new generation. Once again the living room is cluttered with the toys of a child. Squeals of laughter fill the air when my granddaughter is there. Hopefully, when she is older, this house will hold lots of memories of love and laughter. I hope that she will always feel safe and secure when she walks through that front door.

Yes, a house can so much more than the bricks and wood that make it a house.