“Home is people. Not a place. If you go back there after the people are gone, then all you can see is what is not there any more.”
― Robin Hobb
My wife and I continue to settle in to our new house, and as the boxes clear and the paint cans get stored in the basement, it’s truly beginning to feel like “home” when we walk through the front door. And even though there are still rooms void of furniture and decorative accessories; closets and cabinets in need of some major organization, Hobb’s statement rings clear.
It truly is the people that make a house feel like home – not the material possessions we will undoubtedly fill it with.
It’s sitting on the couch with that special someone – watching a Christmas movie while munching on a bag of potato chips.
It’s having family over to make Christmas cookies – gathered in the kitchen, laughing at the silliness that comes along with the process.
It’s the sound of a little boys voice and his tiny little footsteps as he runs from room to room exploring his new surroundings – doing one cute thing after another.
It’s preparing a guest room as a comfortable respite for the days when cherished family and friends we miss dearly come out for a visit – even for a short while.
Houses are physical structures comprised of 2×4’s and nails, which provide shelter from the elements – a place to feel safe, secure and at peace. But a home is all about the people who walk through the front door – the visitors and the permanent residents who spread joy and create new memories just by being there.
Regardless if you’re living in a tiny studio apartment, a modest home, a large home or even a motor home, remember that home is not necessarily a place. For without those we love providing their warmth and spirit from one room to another, it will never truly feel like home.
