What Home Means to Me

When we bought our house it was just a house with a roof and walls separated into rooms and the fence that surrounded our house. It was not yet a home it was up to our family to turn the house we bought into a home. Turning our house into a home started off by each of us choosing our bedrooms. We then visualized where we were going to place our belongings. As we hung our family photos we thought of the memories each picture captured. Once we got everything in place it started to feel like a home instead of just a house. Meeting our neighbors also made it feel more like a home. They welcomed us with warm open arms. It was then we knew we were now part of a caring community making us feel more safe in our home. We knew that our neighbors looked out for one another like a family would. On Christmas day 2020 our family cooked a big turkey dinner with all the fixings. We made extra plates. We also bought some stockings filling them with basic necessities. We then delivered them around the city to anyone who needed them. The look on their faces when we handed them a hot meal and a stocking filled with necessities made my heart feel warm inside. This is just one of the many memories I will never forget while living in our home. A home to me is where my family can feel safe. A place where we can be ourselves. A place filled with love, laughter and joyful memories made with each other. When we bought our house it was just a house. It was our family’s love for each other and the memories we shared that made it a home.