What Does Home Mean To Me?

“A house is made of walls and beams but a home is built with love and dreams.” When someone says the word “Home” it makes me think of a calming place of love where I know I can be myself and live my life to the fullest. In my opinion, a home is not just a place to stay, it is more about the people that fill it and the feelings you get inside of it. A home can be many places to many people. To me, a home is where I feel supported, loved, relaxed, strong, and confident. It is a place of warmth and a sense of belonging. A place of total peace and happiness. Do you know the feeling you get when stepping into a warm bubble bath? The feeling of being surrounded by warmth and calmness? Well, that is how I feel when I step inside my home. But what makes it this way is the people that fill it and the experiences we share inside of it. It is not about the material things such as the pool in our backyard, the T.V in my bedroom, or the dance studio in my basement. My family makes my home what it is. When my dad is in the kitchen cooking my favorite meal, it feels like home. When I sit on the couch getting kisses from my puppy, it feels like home. After a long night at dance class, when I crawl into my warm and cozy bed and my mom kisses me goodnight, it feels like home. “You can have more than one home. You can carry your roots with you, and decide where they grow.” Home can be many different places for many different people. For some people, dipping their toes in the cool ocean water while looking out at a beautiful sunset, feels like home. For others, walking down a trail with a warm hot chocolate in hand on a cool Fall day feels like home. In my life, I am lucky enough to have more than one place that feels like home. When I step into my dance studio, it feels like home. My dance teachers and teammates help me feel confident, at peace, strong, excited, and supported. All the feelings of home. "Home is where love resides, memories are created, friends and family belong, and laughter never ends.” Each night when my mom tucks me into bed, we say a prayer. In our prayers, my mom has taught me to pray for those less fortunate than us. Here’s how it often goes: “We pray for those that are less fortunate than us. Those who are sick, or living in unsafe places. Please wrap your arms around them and comfort them.” In writing this essay about what home means to me, I thought about our prayers for those living in unsafe places and wonder…what is home to those less fortunate? My hope is that everyone can experience the feelings of home, no matter what their circumstances are. Maybe for some of my fellow classmates, walking into school gives them the feeling of home. It might be the only place they feel safe, surrounded by caring teachers and students that support them. For others, maybe a close friend or neighbor gives them the feeling of home. I just hope that everyone in this world is lucky enough to have the feeling of home each day in their lives.