Home is Something Truly Special

Home is Something Truly Special Home. Let that word sink in. What comes into mind when you think of home? Most of you probably think ‘house’ or ‘living’. But the word ‘home’ is so much more meaningful and special. A home is a place where you make life-long memories, a place where you live, laugh and love. Now are you getting it? A home is a special place where you should feel safe and protected, and people who don’t have homes are unsafe and unprotected. Everyone should have the gift of a home. Just having four walls and a roof is a place where you can call it ‘home’. Why? Because home is different for everyone. Now you might be thinking, “Well, Brayden, home is just four walls and a roof!” Maybe you have a point, but I think of four walls and a roof as a ‘house’. An empty, boring building. But home is completely different for every homeowner and family. I call home a place where I can eat well, sleep comfortably, enjoy my life and make special memories and have great moments where my family and I all have a good laugh. If you thought anything like me, then you are probably having a good time, and enjoying your life. Now let’s think about people who maybe don’t have those qualities. What are they going through? Have you ever walked through the streets of Toronto? If you have, it’s quite likely that you’ve seen a homeless person. Take a moment to think, “Am I living better than that person?”. If your answer is yes, then you should be fortunate that you have a home. Do you think that that person would’ve enjoyed a home to live in? A home to make memories, to have protection and comfort, and most importantly, a home that they don’t have to suffer in. The people at Habitat for Humanity are trying to change the way homelessness is dealt with, and I like the idea of it. When someone donates, they’re helping one of those people struggling to find a home, and every dollar is a little bit more to someone saying with pride, “I have a safe, comfortable home.” and that’s very special and heartwarming. Home is something that I believe is a true connection between the home and the homeowner. The home gives the safety, the protection, the comfort, the qualities of not having to be worried all the time about ‘Am I going to die out here today?’ and just knowing that the homeowner can be so joyful about a place to live happily is a great feeling. Here’s a story that I’ve experienced. My parents separated, and my mom found a house that was in a complex. It was fairly small, but it worked and I love it. We got set up into the home. My mom, my siblings and I were great. It took a while to finally call it ‘home’, and we are doing great financially. The house was fairly affordable and we had no financial issues. Here’s what’s not good about it. My neighbour was a very inconsiderate, and fairly poor person. She played music all night, and it was so loud, we could hear it through the concrete wall. She also spent a lot of money on cigarettes and suspected drugs. She was struggling financially, and she was being charged for violating the condominium rules. She sold her home recently and she is moving away, but she has very little money to afford things for the new house. I wish she could reach out to Habitat for Humanity and find a house to get her started, then go find help. I wish she would make better choices, but I can’t change how she acts. To sum it all up, home to me is a special place where I can be happy, safe, and comfortable. A place where I share stories, make memories, live happily, eat well, and be a better person each and every day. I am eternally grateful that I have the gift of a home. I wish that everyone could be in my situation, with a great home and life. Thanks to Habitat for Humanity, thousands of people across the world get a great start on their safe, secure life, and so that they can live at their fullest potential.