What makes a house a home....

What makes a house a home.....

You look at these pictures and see empty rooms...

I see sooo much more....

I see walls that hold stories. I see rooms filled with memories. Memories of a childhood. A childhood where we learned what it meant to be part of a family. A family where we felt safe. A family where we could be ourselves.
I see rooms filled with late night giggles. Giggles that should not of been made because we were to be sleeping. I see rooms where we would lay in bed with all the lights turned out and then out of nowhere we would hear our dad say our name one by one followed by a I love you. I see rooms where we would quietly talk on the phone to our friends about the boys we liked and hope no one in the hall could hear us. I see rooms where we would go at night after coming home from a fun night with friends and sit on the end of our parents bed and tell them all about it. I see rooms filled with laughter when we should of been sleeping but dad woke us up and told us to load up. I see rooms where a loving mom taught us the value of hard work. I see so much more then empty rooms....

I see a front door that we could enter and know that know matter what we were loved. We could walk through that door and escape the worries and fears of the world.

I see rooms where we would sit and have fun when our friends were over. I see a room where we would watch movies. I see a room, a room where my brother thought it would be funny to play a joke on us. As we were watching a movie with friends he went outside and started banging on the window to scare us. Only to find the joke was on him when the window shattered and broke on him.

I see a room that held a couch were all of us siblings, with the exception of Jaclyn, had our first kiss with our spouse.
I see a room where our food was cooked with love. I see a room where we were taught how to make tacos. I see a room where my sister was a pushover and gave her sandwich that she had been working on to her brother...well we won't go any further. I see a room where we were first taught our love for cooking.

I see a room where we would gather for family dinner. I see a room where we would talk about our days. I see a room where family secrets would come out. I see a room where after years of not telling on siblings we finally told. Like the time Jaclyn finally told on Christy for sneaking the car when she was only 15. I see a room filled with fun game nights. I see a room where a family came together and laughed and had fun together.

I see a room where we would share our Christmas mornings. I see a room where my brother opened up his mission call to Boston. I see a room where family would come and talk. I see a room where we would sit and visit with those that came to say hello.

I see a room where a family came together when faced with the biggest challenge of their lives! I see a room filled with many tears. I see a room where we clung to those we loved. I see a room where we dealt with the loss of our dad. I see a room where we learned what it meant to be part of an eternal family.

I see a room us girls would fight over. A room that you always wanted to be in first. I see a room where I would sit with a towel over the heater.

I see a room that held our cars. I see a room where I would sneak late at night. I know what your thinking and yes that may of been true but I see a room where I would go after my parents were sleeping so I could surprise them by cleaning out their cars. I see a room where I would leave love notes to my mom and dad on the seats of their car.

I see a room that holds many fond memories of sharing a room with my sister. I see a room filled with stories only sisters can share. I see a room filled pictures from school dances.

I see a room I brought my first baby girl home to. I see a room that was my last bedroom in a home I grew to love.

What makes a house a home?!? It's the memories that are held in the walls. The stories of a family. The memories that no one can take away. It's the little touches of love that each member brings to the family. It's the acts of service that are preformed for one another within it's walls. It's the kind words that are spoken when only the walls can hear. It's the feeling of love that you feel when you enter. It's the little things you do within the house to let those you live with know they are cared for.

Christy had put these stars on my mom's ceiling forever ago. Stars to let her know she was thought of. Stars to let her know she was cared for. Stars she could look at late at night when her thoughts consumed her and she could not sleep. Stars to let her know she was loved. It's these little things that make a house a home. It's what my mom needed to help her new place feel like a HoMe. So we did just that. We put those loving touches that every home needs. She can still go to bed knowing she is thought about, cared about and loved!
What makes a house a home....

Love. It's the feeling of love that you feel when you walk through the doors. It does not matter the size or how fancy the furniture is. It does not matter what kind of electronics it holds. All that matters is the love you feel when you enter. The gentlemen who bought my moms house shared with us what it was that pulled him to this home. He looked at numerous places but came back three times to our home. He said the feeling of love he felt when he walked through the doors was what he was looking for. I am so grateful for all the fond memories that I hold of this home. I am so grateful that I was able to share these memories with those that I consider to be my best friends. I am so grateful that I was able to call this house my home...

Thanks for all the good times and memories I will forever cherish!!