Home Is...

Home. I've spent a lot of time the last few years pondering where is home? What makes a home? What defines home? Last night I stood in the "new to us" dining room, loving the light of this dragonfly lamp and the warmth of the art that we have hung on the walls. I questioned how this new house feels and if it will be the home I have been seeking.

I grew up in a couple of different homes. My earliest years were spent in a mobile home where, when I was 4, I moved myself into the hallway closet so I could have my own space.

I got my own space when I was 5 and we moved into a little town (Brewster, OH) and into a big (big) brown house on the corner. It was old, with uneven floors, a basement that was big enough for roller skating and room for some fun parties including the memorable 1st grade pizza party and numerous New Year's Eve family and friends get togethers.

Fast forward to adulthood, home truly became "where the heart is." My heart was with Mark and and our homes were made in Columbus and later in Willoughby. I never questioned the space I was in. It was about simply being with someone I loved and having a safe place to rest and reset each day.

COVID (thanks AGAIN global health pandemic) inspired - or forced? - a re-evaluation of all important things including where we wanted to spend time and money and our future goals.

Home then became the cozy cottage, a place we loved everything about, except the location.

And, today, we head to a new home, full circle, back to downtown Willoughby.

The charm of a century home caught our attention once again...as does its issues of uneven floors and all the quirks that come from various owners over the years.

As the coffee was finished this morning, Mark and I talked about home once again...the concerns and the excitement...the sadness at leaving this little place where we gathered as our family of three.

But, we are heading home...hoping to fill the new space with dreams that will become a reality and finding more space for more friends and family to join us in this journey.

Moving trucks arrive this morning at 9...and we're heading home.

Final note: The sun, in the left of the picture, is another piece of art created by Mark. It was a gift in celebration of our 25th wedding anniversary.