A chair is still a chair, even when there’s no one sitting there
But a chair is not a house and a house is not a home
When there’s no one there to hold you tight
And no one there you can kiss goodnight
I just love that George Benson song. Don’t you?
I was sitting on my porch in Medina, Texas. I spend a lot of time on that porch. In fact the girls, Medina and L.E., and I work really hard at getting very little, if anything at all, done on that porch. It was raining. The hummingbirds were swarming like bees. And then, husband and wife birds caught my attention.
This same couple comes back to their bird house every year. It’s nothing fancy. Just your standard deer head birdhouse (they are the talk of the neighborhood). I watched them work together, building another nest to raise their young. That started me thinking, when does a house become a home? Well, keep reading and you’ll find out.
A house is just a place to park yourself and store your stuff. And really, don’t we all just have too much stuff? Have no fear, that will be a future blog. Their house became a home when they decided to work together to build their nest. The male bird could have just stood by and drank a beer (Saint Arnold Ale Wagger Brown, of course). But together, these two turned their house into a home where they will have their babies, raise them, teach them what they need to survive, and eventually turn them loose to fend for themselves as young adults.
When does a house become a home? Look closely at the bird house. You’ll see two birds working together. A house becomes a home when you have your loved ones to share it with. A house becomes a home when a family is started and grows old together. And let us not forget the canine. Every house and every home needs one or three of these. It’s true – I read it on the internet.
Our house became a home. I bet yours did too. Oh, and I know it isn’t a George Benson song, although he had some good ones. I’m sorry to carry on this way. It was really a masquerade to get my point across. Enjoy listening to Luther Vandross sing: A House Is Not A Home.
I’m not meant to live alone, turn this house into a home
When I climb the stairs and turn the key
Oh, please be there, still in love with me.
Make your house a home.
