Deceptive Housewives Part II: My Dream Home

A few more thoughts about my house and home . . .

A few months ago, somebody complimented me on my nice home. I immediately started "being humble" as we Mormon women do, starting to point out all the faults that it has--Oh, it's a very simple house, nothing special. Then that person clarified something: "I didn't say you had a nice house. I said you have a nice HOME. There's a difference." I realized that what he had complimented me on was something much bigger than the four walls we live in. He wasn't talking about my paint choices or decorations. He was talking about the feeling that exists within the four walls.

I remember being in high school and asking my mom why she never went looking at furniture or to a home show or something. Didn't she wish she had a nicer house with nicer things? I was stunned when she told me no. She didn't want any of those things. She was happy with what she had, and didn't see any point in wishing for things she'd never have. I told her I thought it was okay to want them, even if you couldn't have them. I didn't get it. I didn't understand that she really DID love her house--her home.

Then I got a house. It's a simple house, yes. Some people refer to it as a trailor. Yep. I live in a double-wide manufactured home free from any frills. But I love it. Like my mom, I don't spend any time wishing for something more. I already have the house of my dreams. Here are a few reasons why I'm living in the house of my dreams:

1. We can afford it! This is number one for me. Granite countertops, beautiful wood floors, amazing furniture, and a fireplace with a mantle would not make me any happier. In fact, the opposite would be true. My bondage to the payments would make me miserable.

2. There is room for our growing family. We have enough room for us to be comfortable upstairs and an unfinished basement to accomodate growth.

3. It has our own personal stamp on it. We have taken a lot of pride in small and large home and yard projects, and the thought of leaving what we have created through hard work makes me ill.

4. In three short years, we have already made so many memories--memories that will last much longer than our new furniture.

5. The most important people in my life live in this house.

So I'm living in the house of my dreams, and I'm working to create the home of my dreams. Not by replacing my carpets or upgrading my kitchen cabinets, but by working and praying for peace, love, and the Spirit to abide here. And as I truly focus on these things--the makings of my dream home--I realize that I have all I need and all I truly want.