So Much More Than a House

So Much More Than A House Home means everything to me. A home can never be recreated because it is so special. I can’t imagine not having a home. When I was younger, home meant the four walls and roof I was living in. The three bedroom brick house that my parents brought me home to from the hospital. The place that I took my first step and had all my birthdays and had so many milestones in my life. When I said let's go home, I meant the actual building, not the people or neighbourhood. Home used to be so simple. It was where I grew up and where my family was so goofy and I could just be myself without anyone judging me. I never thought I could lose it because it felt so permanent and special. I was so lucky to have that and I never really realised that home meant so much more than the structure. I never stopped to think about my home or the love and happiness I was feeling. About five months ago we no longer had a home. My family was moving to Guelph and leaving behind our home. We sold our house and I realised that I had never really appreciated our home in Toronto. I had taken advantage of it, and never soaked up the joy of the great times I had there. Then I really thought about missing it and I realised that I would miss the house, but I would miss my home far more. The home with my friends, parks, neighbourhood, city, and community. The home where I cried and laughed and celebrated and mourned. I will cherish every moment I had there. It was time for goodbyes and up until then nothing really seemed real so saying goodbye to my home that I lived in for the first ten and a half years of my life was very emotional. Whenever someone asked me how I was feeling about moving, my answer would be “ I’m feeling a mix of every emotion possible”.The house was like a memory album for our home and our lives. And as we drove away it was like closing the album forever. Even though we left our home behind for a new house and a new city, we all still had each other. My mom, my dad, my sister, and me. Nobody could take me away from my family because they are my true home over everything else. Also because we moved, our family expanded with the dog we had always wanted, but never had the space for. It takes years to build a home and we're just starting to build a new one. But building a new one doesn’t mean forgetting about our old home, it means exploring the city and our new neighbourhood, and getting to know our community. Home doesn't have to be in one place, it can be in multiple places. If I ever went back to Atlas avenue I wouldn't feel like a stranger, I would feel at home. Home is such a small word, but it contains so much meaning and emotions and memories. Having a home is so special and so lovely and the feelings are the kind that are so amazing that they are unexplainable.