Tuesday, March 11, 2008

The Meaning of Home

I inherited my home from my parents.
While it was under construction nearly 50 years ago..we referred to it as 'the house'..but it became so much more
Over the years the colors inside and out changed, furniture was replaced..but it was home My father grew tons of strawberries in the backyard, built shelves and a work bench in the garage with a neighbor and worked with neighbors on other projects He let me mow the lawn and taught me to drive.....and told me I could do anything
Many people passed through our home over the years, some to visit, some stayed for a while....
my friends for sleep overs, spending many hours playing guitars and drums, and recording awful songs (...my father shut the porch doors ) grand parents and aunts and uncles, cousins, long time family friends from New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey were welcomed into our home

I did live away here and there..college dorms, shared apartments, mobile homes and even a house. But sooner or later I came home, here. My children have lived here for many of their young years, and my granddaughter visits often.

Neighbors never stopped at the property line when mowing their lawns......If it started raining neighbors would roll up your car windows, neighbors watched out for all the neighborhood children, collected mail and newspapers, watered plants, and watched over your home when on vacation

5 decades of home...friends, relatives, parents, grandparents, grandchildren and now a great grandchild > to my parents Celebrations of graduations, birthdays, weddings, and births throughout the years

In every year there are 525,600 minutes, use them wisely, time lost is never regained