Home

I think I have never felt as at home as I have with Noah.

It is a regular thing for our house to smell like cooked breakfast or supper (e.g. sausage, eggs, some casserole, coffee, etc). I love coming back from class and having the smell invade my nostrils. I am stunned with the sense that we do things right and I am glad we are together.

We both cook, and we both clean up after ourselves.

Our place is clean but not too clean. It's got love and puppies. Sometimes good, relaxing music is on low.

The list goes on, and there's nowhere else I could go to feel so good.

I know wherever we go will feel like home. With our dogs and his scent on our pillows, things will be like home.

The second best place I remember that is so aesthetically pleasing on a regular basis (besides the wonderful home I visited in Pau, France) has been my place alone. However, it was not as consistent as it is here.

From this, I know even if you don't grow up in the greatest place, you can have a very comfortable home when you are older. You may not dislike your upbringing. I don't, but I know warm feet are better than cold feet. Good smells are better than bad smells. A daily cooked meal is worth more than just a full belly. Clean dogs are better for hugs. A fairly clean house makes you feel more relaxed than a messy one. Calming music and kind, soft words can make your day.

These things are all something anyone can have if they want it. Through God's grace and one's own patience, perseverance, heart, and determination.