Everybody wants to get home at the end of the day. Everybody wants to sleep in his/her own bed. We value home cooked meals and home style cookies. Our houses are most often our most valued and costly possession. We spend much of our money on home improvements. Clearly there is something very special about this theme of being at home.
For a great many years in this country, home is where our nation was built. We educated one another at home. We ate three meals a day at home. We fed ourselves from our home and property. We earned our living from the place we called home. Sure, maybe it was not always just our home, but it was community based. No father lived on the road traveling the country 4 days a week. No child went off at 6:30 am to school with 500 others to spend the day being educated by strangers. And for sure, no mother walked away from her house and children to spend 8-10 hours a day in an office. Something back then told everyone that being at home had value. Being at home was where the most good could happen. Being at home kept everyone as safe as possible. Maybe dad did leave. But he went down the road or into town where he was employed within walking distance of his precious home and family. Being at home meant we always knew where we could find a friend and neighbor who could help us out in a bind. Doctors made house calls, and things like milk and ice were delivered to the home for many, many years.
Am I suggesting an isolated existence? No. What I think we should do is take a look at what we have traded for our homes. Our families are not safe at malls or school. Our mothers and fathers are made to prioritize many things before they do their families. For all the strides in education, American students rank in the lowest of their counterparts all over the world. Our collective health as a society is pitiful at best.
We have gone from baseball in the empty lot down the street to tournaments and meets that take us 3 hours away or occupy entire days at a time.
When things are kept at home, or in the local community, motives are clear and in sync. Once we start putting our confidences in huge business or huge government, things get complicated.
3 comments:
Home Sweet Home!!!
This is a very interesting and timely post for me as I am in the process of rebuilding our gutted home as we speak.
I always thought of my home as a haven, a place of safety at the end of a long day in the cruel world. Then came Hurricane Sandy and that sense of safety was completely shattered.
Our family has had to redefine the meaning of home a number of times in the last few months and I suspect we will have to continue to do so in the future. Our home has become wherever the four of us are together and wherever the God is present.
As we prepare to move back into our refurbished home, I'm not sure any of us will ever feel safe there again. Our possessions have taken on a lot less importance to us and the heart of what makes our home a home....love, laughter and God is what remains.
Hey Jeannine,
When I started to write this post, my intention was to be much more deliberate in how I defined ones home.
In the end, I thought it better to leave that vague and let the reader fill in his/her own blanks.
To be clear, and to state my own opinion….I believe the very thought of life at home has become far to decentralized.
Too many family members spread out over too many events or commitments throughout any given day.
Too much emphasis placed on earning money to build and care for the home, while less attention is given to the people that reside therein.
Home should indeed be very simple. And while no physical dwelling can offer ultimate safety from any tragedy, I believe we agree it is better to weather any storm together than alone.
Post a Comment