home sweet home

I saw this little post on decor8 today and I just had to repost part of it here. This is something I think of often, and tried to teach to my little primary kids, and want to continue to teach the 12-18 year old girls I teach.

"Some people grow up and do not have such a sweet home. There is chaos, fighting, illness and many other things that can stand in the way of feeling safe, at peace and happy at home. I think that is one of the best things about being an adult and moving out of the house for the first time. As a young person, you have the chance to create your own Home Sweet Home no matter what your past was like. You can remove the stress and chaos and start anew. You can make decisions that are good ones, so as to safeguard your new found freedom and peace. If you are able to continue this for many years, and you meet someone, fall in love and continue having a relatively peaceful home life then I think you have accomplished a lot in your life. I remember when I was little, I lived next door to a couple who were always fighting. You could here them several houses away! And when I went to visit their daughter, I was surprised at how uncomfortable, even as a little girl, I always felt visiting her. They weren’t screaming when I visited, but this energy and negativity hung in the air like a very bad smell. And it felt thick and suffocating. I always asked her if we could play in the yard instead of inside of the house, I did not like how their home felt."

I have felt this same way before and while I did grow up in a home sweet home as a young girl, I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to give that loving and warm experience to my children and their friends (eventually). Home is our favorite place to be and I hope as my children grow it can stay that way.

image via the wheat field