Home

A few weeks ago at the ETHA meeting, the president of the association gave a speech in which she talked about "home" and what it was to her. She asked us all to think about what home is to us, and if we wanted, to share it with her via email. I don't know if I'm going to do that, but I figured I would at least clue you guys in on what went through my mind.

As most of you know, I just bought a new house. So the question of where "home" is has been fresh on my mind for a while. Moving is always difficult, because it takes a while to get adjusted to a new place. But it's also doubly weird for me being a first-time homeowner. Sometimes I feel as if the real owners are going to come home and tell us that it's time to go home. But when I closed my eyes and envisioned what I call home, I instinctively saw my house. But what I saw was not the front porch, where I spend most of my time, or the living room with our furniture. It was instead the dining room. Why the dining room? That's a good question. But you see, I recently got my grandmother's dining room furniture and put it in the room. We have her table and chairs and an antique china cabinet, complete with her china. We also have a painting she received upon her retirement from Bealls. So when I thought of home, I saw, more than the room itself, her furniture, and me and my family sitting around her table laughing and talking as we have done so many times at her house. Tears came to my eyes as I thought about my loving grandmother Elizabeth. But that is home. That is where I will always feel the most comfortable. It reminds me of all the good times we had. It is also a testament to the good times we will continue to have.