My Mother's Embrace

From a house to a feeling, to a person or a thing, the word home can have many meanings to different people. My home was once in Colombia. It had family, friends, celebrations, and culture. Even though I loved Colombia, things were hard for my me and my mom and we had to leave to start a better life. My mom worked hard and now we have a new space to call home in Canada. Home is where my mom plays the guitar, I play the piano, and we both sing together as our neighbours smile and move to the beat of our songs. Home is where we say ‘voy a darme un juagon” which is a funny way of saying we are going to take a shower in Spanish. Home is where I get to sit with my mom at her work desk and teach her how to organize her writing just like I do in school. Home is where the smell of salty popcorn fills the air of our apartment as we cuddle together with my favourite green and white squared cozy blanket. Home is where my mom and I bake cookies and cake that we eat together and share with our friends and our neighbours. Home is where my mom is proud of my artwork and fills our walls with my vibrant and colourful drawings that I make using my special bag of 160 markers. Home is where I know that if I have my mother by my side, I am safe. I have learned that it doesn’t matter what country I am in, but rather who I am with that makes a space feel like home. My mother’s affectionate embrace will never compare and that is what the true meaning of home means to me.