Making a House a Home

Several times a year I volunteer with Habitat for Humanity by offering a workshop called MAKING A HOUSE A HOME for their new homeowners before they move in.  The style of the workshop is conversational and  I usually begin our time together by asking for a definition of ‘home’.  As they snuggle into the reflective nature of this workshop, I find that they also snuggle into their hopes and dreams for what this new space will gift their lives. 

Defining home seems to remind us all that a home is a special and important place. Phillip Moffitt, former editor of Esquire magazine, said  A house is a home when it shelters the body and comforts the soul.  Writer, Victoria Moran speaks of home this way. A home is a signature - distinct and recognizable.  Home is where you go to refuel - physically, emotionally, and spiritually. 

Here are some of the frequent responses from the Habitat for Humanity families: 

·        home is about being able to be who you really are

·        a home provides privacy

·        home means having a sense of freedom

·        home is a place to call your own

·        it’s where family gatherings happen

·        a home creates a cozy feeling

·        a home brings peace and comfort into our lives

·        a home is a safe haven 

Then we go through every room of the house, identifying how life will be fully lived in that space.

·        How will you enter your home?  

·        What activities will be happening in the living room, kitchen, etc?  

·        What special furniture, art, or memorabilia will enhance your spaces? 

·        How will you live in the outside spaces?  

·        What colors are you eager to paint the walls and have around you?

·        What personality do you wish each room to express?  

·         What room do you think will be your favorite and why?

In some ways this process is asking What is it that you need from this house to be the best and happiest you? How do you want ‘home’ to feel when you walk into each and every room?

In addition to naming what will be packed to take to the new home, it is equally important to decide what will NOT be moving.  Stories of a readiness to ‘let go’ and ‘start fresh’ begin to be shared. Laughter and wild gestures accompany the telling of what will not be coming with them and why. The sorting of life memories and daily habits seems to happen naturally, just as the decisions of what does and does not go into the new home – the new life.

I once heard these words . . . “Your home is sacred space – a sacred space with your address.”  Each of these families has a new address, a new place, a sacred space to live a wonderful life! Welcome Home!!