No Place Like Home

Where do we abundantly live?

Is it a place, a physical structure, a state of mind? What images come to mind for you when you think of home? Do you think about your childhood home and memories when you were growing up? Do you think about friends that you have grown up with? Do you think about the town that is so familiar to you?

For me I have no certain "home town" that comes to mind. We moved a lot when I was a kid. Every time I made a best friend, we were saying goodbye. All of our life experiences shape who we are and what we want life to look like in the future. As Paul and I were first starting our family, I always dreamed of our kids being born and graduating in the same place, their "home town". While raising kids in Scottsdale has so many challenges, our kids have learned so many lessons being rooted in the same place. By having the same childhood friends you learn how to work out problems and learn the meaning of forgiveness. The kids have attended the same school, the same church for many years, they have had the same dentists and doctors. Their is familiarity about having your favorite restaurants and seeing the same people who work there day in and day out. Do you know people you see by name?

Next, I come to our physical dwelling, our house. It is so important to us because each room holds many memories and "things" that are important to us. My living room has always been a welcome place for all who live here and come to visit. It has always been our desire that no matter who comes to be part of our family, whether it is friends, neighbor kids, the kids' friends or family members when they come they will feel they are loved and accepted. Many important decisions have been made just hanging out discussing life there. In my living room is our piano. It is an instrument that brings great joy. I play when I want to worship God, and I love each student that comes to learn to love music in this place. Music is a way to express yourself especially when there are not words to say how you feel. Our family room is a place of fun, games are played there, movies are watched, it is a place to relax, sit by the fire, or just hang out.

The kids bedrooms each reflect who they are. Dylan has loved green since he was born. Although it is a mix of sports and planes, green is part of who Dylan is...Abby's room is full of horses, from her bedspread to the pictures that her father has so lovingly taken and neatly framed. Two very important pieces remain, a childhood table that my father sanded and stained for her and a nicknack shelf that he made for her that I carefully stenciled when she was little. They are two keepsakes reminding her of how much her grandfather loved her while he was here with us on earth!

My kitchen is my favorite place. Paul tore it apart with his own hands and we spent two years redesigning how it would be remodelled. We picked out every part of it from the cabinets to the countertops, appliances and lighting. Part of what makes it special was that one of our best friends put the kitchen in. It is where I love to spend the majority of my time, baking and making things for others to enjoy. I learned the art of baking and cooking for those that I love from my grandma. I watched over the years how she blessed others with what her hands made. I find the same joy in blessing others as she did.

The best part of home is that it is a place that we can call our own. It is a true reflection of who we are as people. It has our favorite colors, filled with the smells of what we like, animals that we love, memories that we have shared and continue to share with others. We study the bible here with others, we have people over for meals, we have holiday celebrations, we celebrate life with old friends and welcome new friends into our life. It is a place that we share in the sorrows as well as the celebrations of life. There truly is NO PLACE LIKE HOME!!!!