Home
can be a place.
It can be a person or a group of people.
And I am of the opinion that it can also be a belief or knowledge.
Laying that broad definition aside, I believe that it is an innate human desire to create. For me specifically, to create a home. To physically make a space not solely for shelter, but a safe haven, a place to create, a place to worship, a place to live freely.
President Dieter F Uchtdorf once said, " The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent desire to create something that did not exist before..."
And I am the proud new occupant of 608 square feet of beautiful opportunities.
I am a homemaker.
It might be easy when we hear the title of "homemaker" to solely envision cooking, cleaning, and child care (unless you are way to literal and are thinking architect). Based on your experience, you might be thinking of a mother (or father) who does not work out of the home. Or you could be thinking of the mother who knows 10 ways to make lasagna, volunteers with the PTA, and makes her own soap. And anywhere in between. I am grateful for all parents, who stay at home or work; this isn't a commentary on stay at home or working moms because I love and appreciate the sacrifices of both sides. What I am trying to say is that there is yet another definition for "homemaker"- very literally, one who makes a house a home.
I'm not sure there is any science or explanation for the profound difference between a house and a home, but I know there is one. Maybe it's the amount of laughter and tears, or music and passion. Maybe it's the comforts and conveniences. How each individual and family does that is unique of course. One part is cleanliness and organization. Perhaps another is decoration. A big one is light. Those physical factors do play a part in the atmosphere of a home--physical things we can carefully plan and arrange. However, overall, I think it is the Spirit in the home. A very tangible, if not measurable, peace and joy. A very real feeling that envelopes visitors and makes them comfortable and well,... at home. There is definitely something divine about the mission to "make" a home, a sacred responsibility to make a sanctuary from the world.
It has been exciting to move into my new apartment and unpack, to see my sunflower canisters in the kitchen, my sister's artwork on my walls, my rocking chair nestled in the corner with my favorite afghan, the diffuser quietly humming, and of course, my piles of books everywhere (because I still need a bookshelf). Wow, I sound like an old spinster. But more than the sheer excitement of the adventure, there is something so profound in the creation of my home. From listening to conference talks as I get ready in the morning, pouring my heart in prayer in every room from the kitchen to the bedroom, studying the scriptures sprawled out on the air mattress, and reading my favorite books curled up with hot cider, I can feel that wonderful peace and joy spreading to every nook and cranny.
As my life grows, changes, and evolves over the coming years, I'm sure my home"making" will as well. Just as it has from going to college and having roommates, then serving a mission and having companions. And I look forward to everything stage of home creation that is still to come.
I'm not sure there is any science or explanation for the profound difference between a house and a home, but I know there is one. Maybe it's the amount of laughter and tears, or music and passion. Maybe it's the comforts and conveniences. How each individual and family does that is unique of course. One part is cleanliness and organization. Perhaps another is decoration. A big one is light. Those physical factors do play a part in the atmosphere of a home--physical things we can carefully plan and arrange. However, overall, I think it is the Spirit in the home. A very tangible, if not measurable, peace and joy. A very real feeling that envelopes visitors and makes them comfortable and well,... at home. There is definitely something divine about the mission to "make" a home, a sacred responsibility to make a sanctuary from the world.
It has been exciting to move into my new apartment and unpack, to see my sunflower canisters in the kitchen, my sister's artwork on my walls, my rocking chair nestled in the corner with my favorite afghan, the diffuser quietly humming, and of course, my piles of books everywhere (because I still need a bookshelf). Wow, I sound like an old spinster. But more than the sheer excitement of the adventure, there is something so profound in the creation of my home. From listening to conference talks as I get ready in the morning, pouring my heart in prayer in every room from the kitchen to the bedroom, studying the scriptures sprawled out on the air mattress, and reading my favorite books curled up with hot cider, I can feel that wonderful peace and joy spreading to every nook and cranny.
As my life grows, changes, and evolves over the coming years, I'm sure my home"making" will as well. Just as it has from going to college and having roommates, then serving a mission and having companions. And I look forward to everything stage of home creation that is still to come.
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