This I Believe: Homes by TJ Osmun

When a person is asked what he or she believes in most of the time the individual would think of a religious answer or something about love, but when I was faced with the question only one thing came to my mind, homes. I believe in homes. Homes are not always the place a person lives or sleeps or eats, but a home is a place where one can feel secure in knowing that he or she is safe. For instance when I was staying with my extended family in Florida for a couple of weeks I did not feel comfortable and open. I felt as if I had to act a certain way in order to be accepted in their house. Homes and places to stay are two totally different things. Places to stay tend to make a person feel as if he or she is not accepted into a sort of inner circle. This inner circle is only acceptable to the permanent residents of the place or the people who call the area home. For example when a child stays at a friend's house and he or she is sent home with out a reason, that is not a home and he or she is not in the inner circle, on the contrary if the child has stayed at the place many times before and the friend's family and the kid have a relationship he or she may receive an inner circle explanation, one that deals with family related or close to family related issues, of why he or she needs to head home. Being accepted into an inner circle helps, but does not usually make a residence a home. Other factors can include trustworthiness and security. When a person trusts the keepers of a house or a house itself to keep him or her secure that is when a place to stay becomes a home. People may have more then one home, I do. As long as a person has a secure feeling about a place that is so strong that when troubled he or she knows the place is always an open place to stay, then he or she has a home.

Homes are a very important part of life. They create a sense of security and a sense of belonging. That is why I believe in homes.