Home is the Centre of My Heart

My home has a place right at the centre of my heart. It is not just a place, but a feeling. My home is like a warm hug, wrapping around me whenever I walk into it. It feels like the safest place I could be. What I love most about my home is who I share it with. I have been blessed with a loving and inspiring family and I am grateful. In my home, unforgettable memories and moments have been created. Home is my pink comforter on my bed. It is my toothbrush in the bathroom beside my bathroom. It is my dog barking at passing cars. It is my gymnastics equipment in the basement. It is things that are so simple, but make up my whole world. Home to me means safety. It is my safe haven. I am assured of this because of physical things like an alarm system and a big, protective dog named Scarlett. I am also safe because I can simply be me. I have loving parents and an amazing older brother. They love me for who I am and it is in that safe space that I can be who I truly am. I can be silly, sad, loving, angry and so much more. I can just be me. Each place in my home is filled with special memories that are etched onto my heart. Magical moments have been created in my home. I walk into our living room and I am reminded of the family movie nights or all the amazing puzzles that we have put together on the coffee table. In my bedroom I am reminded of the moments when my mom or dad tuck me into bed or come to console me after a bad dream. Downstairs in our basement, I am reminded of all the flips I have done on my tumble track or the skills I have learned on my gymnastics beam. In the kitchen, I remember all the meals we have eaten together as a family and the laughs we have had around our kitchen table. In my parents’ room, I am reminded of snuggles from my mom during a thunderstorm so I feel less scared. My family is what makes our home so special. They have always been there for me in the hard and challenging times. They support me through all the ups and downs of being a competitive gymnast. My family believes in me with all their heart. I know with all my heart that my home is full of love and understanding. I have an autistic older brother named Isaac. Home is where we have developed our close relationship, our unbreakable bond. Home is also where my brother and I play an imaginary game that only we understand. We also read books together, play video games and get on each other’s nerves. My brother has made our family and our home one that is forever full of gratefulness and blessings. Some people who do not have a home may not feel as safe as I do. This breaks my heart and makes me want to become someone who makes a difference. I want to be someone who is part of the solution of homelessness and everything that comes with that. I realize that not everyone is as lucky as me. I feel so blessed to have a special home. Writing about my home makes me realize that home is actually more than four walls and a roof. It is a place of belonging. Home is what makes me the best version of myself. It has a place right at the centre of my heart.