Welcome Home!
At the end of each day, when I get into my car to make the short drive to my house, I find myself looking forward to pulling into the narrow driveway.
“I’m coming home,” I tell whichever of my children answers the phone. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”
It isn’t a big house, or a grand house, but there is something so, well, comforting about the place. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. The rooms are small and the bathrooms are tiny. The kitchen – a little dated – is usually a bit of a mess and the study, the space that has to hold shelves stacked with books, the computer and the children’s piano, is cramped to say the least.
There are always shoes – kicked off by a teenager who was in a hurry – on the floor and the day’s newspaper by the chair. There’s usually a cat asleep on a cushion on the sofa or a dog curled up on the rug. And the mail tends to stack up on the table by the door.
It’s obviously a place where busy people live, but there is a quiet kind of peace under the roof. And for that I’m grateful.
Houses, if you’ll stop and listen, have a heartbeat. They live and breathe and react to the elements. Especially to the human element. I believe that a house takes on the spirit of the people it shelters. When there is tension, or heartache, those emotions vibrate in the corners making it difficult to relax and get comfortable. When there is sadness a house slowly fades and loses its shine. But where there is contentment, a house takes on a glow.
As foolish as it sounds, I think my house is a happy house. It’s not perfect. There are repairs that need to be made and improvements that ought to be undertaken. It isn’t a showplace or a picture-perfect model. My house – just like the woman who lives there – is a work in progress. But at the end of the day, it’s as warm and comforting as an embrace.
And who doesn’t like to come home to that?
This week in Home
Bruce and Marge Kerwin traveled the world, but when they came home for good it was to a fixer-upper in Spokane. The story of the transformation of their dated South Hill ranch-style home is our cover feature.
If you’d like to shake things up and throw an honest-to-goodness cocktail party, Amy Klamper’s Urban Style page introduces us to a man who knows how to stir up a good time. And as always, we’ve got good advice for area gardeners.
This week marks the debut of a new feature. Megan Cooley, a journalist and mother, will be sharing her favorite crafts with Home readers. Each month she’ll share a new project, with tips and how-to details.
Every Tuesday, when you open the newspaper you’re getting more than just words and pictures. You’re getting a peek into the lives of friends and neighbors.
You’re coming Home.