Houses and Homes

I like houses. A lot actually. I like to look at them, visit them, buy them, and invest in them. The only thing I don't like about them is working on them!

The other day I was invited to the home of one of the couples who I am doing premarital counselling with. They invited me over for brunch and to show me the house they had just bought. Them buying this house was exciting, not just because of the investment value (something we definitely talked about) but because they used the policy of the joint agreement in a really cool way that was big deal in their relationship.

The area of Winnipeg they bought in a bit sketchier and the house they bought will need a lot of work. But as I stepped into the home and was met by their smiling, proud, and excited faces a profound thought hit me: " The value of a home is not how nice the building is and where it is located. A home derives it's value from the quality of the relationships of those who live inside." In other words the relationships are the home's greatest asset.

Sometimes I get house envy or pick apart all the things that are missing in mine or need to be done. The imperfections of the structure. But I remembered that day that the most important thing isn't those things at all - the question is, is the house a home? A place where people are loved, spend time with each other, and do life together? I think I want to focus more on these things.