What does your ideal home look like?

If you had asked me about 7-10 years ago what my ideal home looks like I would have told you it’s a one story farmhouse with a wrap around porch on at least 10 acres of land. My kitchen would have navy blue lower cabinets with white uppers with frosted glass. I would have a nice size island with waterfall granite countertops. I would have double ovens, a large refrigerator/freezer, and a walk-in pantry. I would have a separate dining room for all my family and friends to gather. I would have large windows to let in a lot of natural light.

Outside I would have a wonderful garden of herbs and veggies along with fruit trees and blueberry bushes. Of course I can not forget about my farm animals…chickens, rabbits, cows, and a horse or two. And I must have my milking cow Bessie! I mean this is my ideal farmhouse. All of this sounds amazing, right?!

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If you had asked me about 5-7 years ago what my ideal home would look like I would have said it’s the home that my child is in. I was at a different stage in my life 5-7 years ago. My husband and I had gone through upset and disappointment after upset and disappointment. We had tried to have kids and well it just didn’t happen. So we set out on a different journey…adoption. Our journey of adoption lead us to our journey of fostering.

Today if you ask me what my ideal home is I will tell you it is the home where my family lives. Sure it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles and sure it’s not large and extravagant and I mean it’s not even a farmhouse for crying out loud! But this house, this is the house where memories were and are being made.

I am the 4th generation owner of this house. My husband and I have made several changes to the house and we continue to update and change things. One thing will never change though. This is the house we have made into a home. This is the house we accepted our first foster child in and the other 4 that would later come. This is the house we have laughed, loved, and cried in. This is the house we let strangers come in and basically tell us how we can run our house while we were fostering. We have gone through so many ups and downs in this house, but all of that has made this house our home.

This is also the home we have welcomed our adoptive son and daughter in with arms wide open. If you were to ask my kids what their ideal home would be they would probably tell you a big house filled with lots of toys and animals. They would also say a place where I am loved and cared for.

When you think of your ideal home instead of thinking about the materialistic things think about the love that is in your home or the love you can provide in your home. Think about your security and safety. Think about the place you know you can always go back to. Not all children or even all adults have this kind of home. There are so many people that go home to a house filled with violence and hurt. They may go home to a house that isn’t clean and comfortable. They may go home to a house with no food or to a house with parents who put other things above their kids. Some people may go home to an empty house.

I challenge you to build your ideal home out of love and memories and create a sense of belonging for all family members in your family. Make your home a safe place and a place your family can go to in time of need.

You have the power to build your ideal home inside and out with love, character, and of course materials.

Happy building!

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