A friend posted a picture on Facebook with the title "Our First Home Together." The house represents more than just brick, wood, nails, sheetrock and paint. It's a goal of many to have a place they can call their own, a place to shield them from the slings and arrows of life.
My friend knows all about slings and arrows, and hits and battles and pains. I met her a little under a year ago and since that time, I've watched (via social media...) changes that have happened in her life. She's in a much better place now, specifically, a new home.
We are born into a world with no expectations, at least none we ourselves have. As we grow we think of how things will be, how we'll live. Will we get married, have a family grow old together with someone? And if so, we will live in a house?
A home isn't a guarantee of a happy life, but it can be a symbol, a symbol of what can happen when people work together to maintain a house or a relationship. They touch up the chipped walls, they repair the screen doors, change the burned-out lightbulbs and keep the rain gutters clear. And they hope the wind storms don't rip off the shingles or bring down the tall pine trees. Because no matter how much we prepare, pain and heartache inevitably come. Without the pain, we cannot possibly know the joy.
Seeing the picture made me happy. It reminded me that we're all out there trying to be in a better place. Their first home together.
Home sweet home.
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