Today I am grateful for my HOME.
This is the 15th dwelling place I've lived in during my life. It's still such a surprise to me to be here -- as I look back to last December at this time, I had absolutely no clue that so much would change in a year.
This house was built in 1947, and the front/original part has some traditional charm: a fireplace, a bay window with a window seat, original hardwood floors. About 20 years ago, a big addition was put on the back, and the character of those newer rooms is very different. We're talking 'open concept' with vaulted ceilings and built-in spotlights everywhere. Sigh. Not so much "me", as my taste runs more toward antique and quaint, but spacious and nicely updated nonetheless.
In any case, I am grateful for this safe pleasant place to live. The living spaces are comfortably adequate, and we are enjoying having ample storage for the stockpile of stuff we brought with us when we moved. The back of the house faces south, so we have nice cheerful sunshine for most of the day. The house is single story, which is a marvelous boon to our arthritis-y knees and hips. I especially like the placement and size of the laundry area. The front and back yards are securely fenced, giving the little boys plenty of safe outdoor space to enjoy. We are in a quiet well-kept neighborhood, very close to shopping and other facilities. Most importantly, we are less than ten minutes from family now, instead of the three hours travel time we faced before. And that's the whole ball game, right there, isn't it?!
We are fortunate to have a good place to live. As I look ahead, I know that given time, and more cozying up, this house will become HOME.
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3 comments:
It always takes awhile to make a house feel like a true home despite having things that are familiar filling it. There seems to be a settling period - an introduction to each other. I know it took me at least a couple of years to feel at home here in this apartment and even now (after over ten years here) I still have moments when I'm not sure. I really wish I had what it takes to repaint the entire place in colours that I like rather than the varying shades of taupe that we were talked into going for before we moved in. Now I look at the sheer amount of work it would take to repaint and I subside into my chair and realize that there are lots of people who would love what I have so I should suck it up and be grateful. Some days it's harder than others!
Oh yes it does take some time to settle in to a new home; we came to live here quite a few years ago to take care of my ailing Mom; five years ago now she passed away-- and we have stayed on...I have finally been able to feel "at home" here.
I am so grateful to have a nice home and food on the table these days of unbelievable bread lines (!!)and so many going without...
hugs, julierose
Wow, I had never counted before but it seems that I am also in my 15th dwelling place, a home I moved into just last year. It is still pretty much a mess, the pandemic stopped so many intended repairs and purchases, but slowly we are making it our own. We were lucky not to have the destruction that many of our neighbors had from last year's 500-year flood, and although we have not seem our families more than a couple times this year, we feel fortunate to have remained well. There is much to be grateful for.
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