Home is the light that stays

Home is not a building that stands still. Home breaths, it bends, and it grows with you. I've lived in places where walls changed, where doors closed louder than they should have, and where pacing boxes became too familiar. But home never left me; it followed quietly into my mother’s smile, into my brother's laugh, and into the warmth that showed up even when life felt cold. Home is the sun breaking through a rainy sky. It's proof that light still exists even when everything feels dark. Home is the feeling of safety settling in your chest, like a deep breath you didn't know you were holding in. Home is laughter echoing down a hallway that has heard its share of cries. It’s sorrowful and joyful sitting side by side. My house may change, people may leave, but home is always with me, it has the people who teach my heart to grow back stronger. Home is as sweet as candy. Home is my Tita’s cooking, home is my Jido's stories, home is my mom's hugs. It's getting to my house every night to my cat at the door. Home is laughter and tears and everything in between.