Where ever we may land

My sister-in-law Sara has this really cool column in her local newspaper. She's a single mom who recently moved back to her home town in Montana. Her last column really got me thinking about homes. Not about buying one or anything ridiculous like that, but about what makes a home a home. I was so struck at how at peace she seemed with her location, and her deep appreciation for her home. I do not think it is the actual house she lives in, but her community, her family, her friends. I smiled as I read about her affinity and appreciation towards her home because so many people today are so dissatisfied with this or that in their living situation.

My home involves family and friends, a 2 year-old girl, and the aroma of home cooked food floating in every corner of the house. My husband and I love the idea of making a boat into our home for a summer. Home to me is good energy, warmth, love, and all those good feelings you used to get when you were a young child. Home is the smell of freshly cut grass after a rain storm, or a pile of clean laundry waiting to be folded. Home is the mold growing in our shower, the smell of coffee brewing in the morning, and the TV turned onto some annoying children's show. Home is that plant that is always on the brink of death, and suddenly it gets a little attention and then it's right back to standing tall. In the summer, we get to smell slow cooked meat on the grill thanks to that $15 charcoal grill that is falling apart, but still cooks a mean steak. Home is our resting ground, or place of play, and our little island.

I feel truly blessed and thankful we have a home we call ours. We do not have the freedom to remodel or purchase the land we live on. It is not worth the money to get rid of the wonderfully dated wall paper, or paint over the scratches in the wall. We have a gigantic garden at the side of our home where we spend many hours in the summertime weeding, eating the vegetables, and playing in the dirt. We have fruit trees all around us that bring us delicious snacks and lures in ridiculous wildlife. We get to see big horned sheep, deer, eagles, lynx, bears, and wild turkeys right out our windows. We get to look around 360 degrees and see pine and aspen covered mountains. Our home gives us sharp cool mornings and pleasant afternoons, and fresh crisp evenings.

No matter where we make our house, I am confident we can always make it home, where ever we may land.

Home is where the heart is, they say. True that.
Karen Fjeldheim