THE MEANING OF HOME

Home can be a physical location, a house, apartment or street, but home is much more than a physical place. Home is a place where comfort replaces fear, routine brings peace, and a sense of belonging is found." It's a place that's not based on its geographical location but on the connections that are created there. Many people associate home with the idea of the presence of the people they love. Home is the sound of laughter that is shared,and the the quiet support of others through difficult times. Therefore, home is where an individual knows he will be accepted. Although life is transient, the memory of these relationships carries the feeling of the place with the individual wherever he goes. Home can also provide a sense of identity, as cultural, familial, and self-histories are often closely tied to home. Home, in this sense, is a sense of how individuals view not only their world but also themselves. Going home, therefore, can be a sense of going home to ones own self. At the same time, home is not necessarily connected with a particular place for some, it might be a place that is developed later in life or even a number of different locations. A new city, family chosen by an individual, or even individual sense of stability might be home for a person. This suggests that home is constructed by individuals, not necessarily what they are born with. Ultimately the definition of home is one of safety,a sense of belonging, and being connected to something. Home is where one can rest, thrive, and come back to after having to face the world. However one finds or makes it home is an need that is fundamental to all of humankind.