Home Is Where the Heart Is

My father-in-law arrived Monday at 4:00 p.m., the guest room was finished Sunday night at midnight. We cut it close, but we got it done - we always do. Why do I doubt my husband's abilities or mine, for that matter? The bigger question is: Why did we wait ten years to re-do this room?

The answer is multi-faceted.

1. Both my husband and I have been too busy with work to even think about the time involved for this room transformation.
2. Changing the room would mean changing our daughter's room. If we left it as it was we could pretend she hadn't grown up.
3. Our daughter wasn't ready to relinquish her hold on her childhood room.
4. Our daughter couldn't move her "stuff" across the country into her small New York City apartment, so we really needed to store all of her "stuff" for her.
5. I kept the door closed - out of sight, out of mind.
6. We never have that many visitors anyway, so we really didn't need a guest room.
7. We didn't have any other place to put all of her "stuff."
8. Her room has ALWAYS looked like this, we can't change it now.
9. We can't afford to re-do it.
10. We want our daughter to always feel like she has a home here.

All of these reasons are valid. But, the real reason is probably number 10. Fortunately, our daughter, and our son-in-law, know they always have a home here. No matter if the room has been repainted, the furniture re-arranged, or some of the books put away - where ever I am, there will be a home for my children.

The real home is not in the physical "stuff," but in my heart.