What Is A Home Made Of?

What makes a “house” home?  We have been in our home for 43 years and many wonderful, as well as, sad moments have passed.  When we build it, we had decided  to make this a house one filled with memories and love.   I do hope it has turned out that way for our family and those that visited us.

File May 24, 10 12 17 AM

Our family Snowball Bush has withstood the test of time!

With Spring blossoming all around and the visible signs of life, I am watching plantings coming back to life.  I’ve  noticed the intense colors sprinkling our yard in the way of old and a few new plantings. A few special memories are popping forward in my mind as I write this.

Over the years, we have had 3 dogs.   Two of them were males that stymied the growth of a few special bushes.  In spite of their contributions to tagging our yard as their own, everything has survived.

Just to prove how hardy plants can be, I have posted today’s featured image with our Snowball bush.   It has a heritage of its own having been moved from one house to another.   I believe it began in Chicago with one of my husband’s grandfathers.   Today it is about 6 feet tall and 4-5 feet wide.   The weight of the 4-5 inch flowers is already obvious as the branches get weighed down.

When our children were growing up they literally had snowball fights with our “snowball” flowers.   I am sure I did not know back then, but in recent years “true confessions” have been told.  As a matter of fact, I bought them small bushes as a gift for their homes a couple years back.

The life of a family takes on meaning from experiences they have together.   Each person bringing their own character into the mix becomes evident.  Some are neat and tidy while some are studious and well read.  Others are loud and maybe sloppy, but in the end the family learns to deal with and love one another.

The heart of the family may change as the generations do.  Grandparents may hold the extended family together; that is ideal.  My own grandmother was the only grandparent alive when I was born.   She was a lover of homemade clothes, crocheted items, and Ed Sullivan.  LOL   She worked in the Chicago Loop till she was 72.   She was always smiling, but extremely quiet. She was often silent, but empowering. As the youngest grandchild, her death prior to my marriage was a blow to my heart!

Maybe it is one person who seems to rally the troops.   I’d like to think that is my job now with adult children.  When our kids were younger, my husband and I worked together to keep things going.   It was a big help that he was available with having a home office.   He loved to drive and do outside work.   He was primarily the one who ran children around to sports and school.   I loved to stay at home as a Professional Homemaker and take care of the inside of our home.   It worked well until they hit Junior High.  At that point things changed.  My husband’s accident, death of his father, and job changes toppled us over like a domino lineup.  Like the snowball flowers broken after a rainstorm,  petals of security and ease fell apart.  Emotions took over where cognitive functioning should have ruled our behaviors.   Fears, sadness, and teenage hormones tipped us.

When circumstances change, families need to rally, and we did!   Everyone had to step up in support of one another and regain footing.  That is what makes a house a home.  It is when everyone recognizes that they are part of the equation and valued.   It was our home, the gardens, memories, and one another that made us happy again.

Hoping your “home” is filled with good or reclaimed memories!   I leave you today to “Delight in Living”!