home, it's more than where the heart is...

home is a place to go to. a place to belong. a place to be yourself, at rest, at peace. a place where judgements cease, and the desire to be everything succumbs to the desire to be yourself.

home is a place of refuge, a shelter from the outside world. a place where you can scream, or cry, or laugh til you pee, and know you are safe while you do.

home is a place where you can just be. be you. be a wife, a sister, a mother, an aunt. a husband, a brother, a, father, a son, a friend. be a writer, a dreamer, a sports fanatic, a chef. a reader, a doer, a sleeper, an enthusiast of anything.

home is a place you never want to leave, and you constantly desire to come back to.


it has been 40 days since we closed on our very first home

and there is just something about going home after a totally craptacular day at work.

and there is just something about going home to a house that belongs to you.

there is just something about home.

a sense of accomplishment. a peace. a glass of wine and a good book. a really really really long list of things to do. but somehow, that list isn't so daunting when it is your own house, your own home.


it felt like home from that very first night. that very first night with nothing but our suitcases full of clothes, a bag full of bathroom products, and a simple air mattress, it already felt like home.

we weren't concerned with trite things like furniture, light bulbs, food, or toilet paper. no sir. we had 13 gallons of paint, 99c wendys dinner, and the passion of our very first house. we would need every ounce of that passion over the next 40 days. (and far beyond, if we are going to be honest)


for the last 40 days we have been cleaning and painting and stripping and sanding and cleaning and lugging and moving and organizing and cleaning. and this house is slowly becoming a home. our home.

in a small way, we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. i imagined it would take 2 weeks, and our house would look like a pottery barn catalog. go ahead. you can laugh. i am an idiot. i have come to grips with who i am.

i thought it would be flawless and simple... and then i looked around.

then i remembered the dark blue wood work.

then i remembered the 20 foot ceilings.

and the burgundy wood work, and the black wood work, and the dirt.

and i remembered the dark colors. dark colors everywhere.

and then i looked in the basement, and i saw the 1976 original built in the whole length of the wall.

and then i remembered all the doors painted to match the color of the walls in each room.

and then... and then i remembered this room. lord have mercy.

and the original 1976 woodwork.

piece by piece, moment by moment, it is becoming our home.


"Home is a place not only of strong affections, but of entire unreserve, it is life's undress rehearsal, its backroom, its dressing room."
Harriet Beecher Stowe

"Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration."
Charles Dickens

"Peace, that was the other name for home."
Kathleen Norris


"Where we love is home, Home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts."
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., Homesick in Heaven

"Every house where love abides
And friendship is a guest,
Is surely home, and home sweet home
For there the heart can rest."
Henry VanDyke

it is not done, by any stretch of imagination, but it is ours.


it is our home where we can live, and learn, and grow, and dream. where we can rest, and relax, and be ourselves.

where we can watch endless amounts of movies and sports, read cuddled up on our old grungy couches, and play dominoes until we want to pass out.

it is our home where we will live for a very, very, very, longtime. maybe forever, we'll just have to wait and see.

"Home is the one place in all this world where hearts are sure of each other. It is the place of confidence. It is the place where we tear off that mask of guarded and suspicious coldness which the world forces us to wear in self-defense, and where we pour out the unreserved communications of full and confiding hearts. It is the spot where expressions of tenderness gush out without any sensation of awkwardness and without and dread of ridicule." Frederick W Robertson

Comments

  1. Home....a place where you can paint your brains out....

    It's beautiful.
    We loved being with you in your great home!

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  2. BTW.
    You are officially linked from my blog.

    Big time.

    hehe

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  3. what a beautiful transformation! great job!

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  4. Anonymous11:12

    Melinda Sue, love love your blog. You have such a way with words -- an author in waiting. Someday you will be published.

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  5. Patrick11:41

    I searched for the word "pee" on your blog and found at least 6 instances of you mentioning peeing your pants and another 2 mentions of peeing in general.

    I'm sensing a theme here. Maybe you should change your blog name to put on love / pee your pants

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  6. oh MAN. oh MAN OH MAN OH MAN.

    I love it. I love it all.

    We are on SUCH a parallel journey right now, only we didn't do all the scraping and painting before moving in - we have too many kids for that. We're doing it as we go.. in fact, this week while I'm away, Scott and his mom are going to paint our bathroom. One little thing at a time and we'll get there. But oh, the satisfaction in knowing that it's [the bank's and] OURS! :) Pretty amazing, huh?

    Paint with joy. :) We're covering the same woodwork, stripping WALLPAPER [eew], and replacing handles. All for love's sake! :)

    S
    ps - i'm so ok with myself that I'm choosing to be ok with my MIL decorating my house. Just thought I'd point that out. To remind myself. I'm ok with it. Really. :)

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  7. donna, a link from you... i am practically famous already.

    anon, your words are such a blessing and encouragement to me... you have no idea.

    patrick, i just try to keep it real up in here.

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  8. we didn't play quite enough dominoes to want to pass out...yet. to many more friday nights together!

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  9. Patrick,
    I made Melinda pee in her pants twice last weekend.

    It had something to do with French words and

    le petit biscuit.

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  10. Jennifer22:48

    I cried. I wish I was there to paint and help you!...and I really wish you were here to help me! Your house looks so wonderful! I am so happy for you!

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  11. I'm very happy for you both. Your hard work has paid off; it looks great!
    Denise

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  12. Patrick23:40

    SHOCKING

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  13. I love the colors you have chosen. What a difference! Very nice. Enjoy!

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