Home

“Our house is a very very very fine house, with two cats in the yard….”.  This is Crosby Stills and Nash talking about home as a physical place.  “Wherever we’re together that’s my home.” This is Billy Joel talking about home as a concept, an emotion. Which one is correct? Maybe both? I am still trying to figure this out for myself.

I am in the middle of a short line of wanderers and gypsies.  My dad never owned a home. That was probably a good idea because he liked to move… a lot. He and my mom lived in many houses and apartments, all in Slatington, PA. I heard that, before I was born, they once moved from one end of a row to the other end, just because the light was better. My dad was proud of saying that the only real estate he ever owned was his burial plot.

Recently I counted the number of homes I have lived in.  Nineteen! Unlike my dad, I have owned some of my homes. But even living in a home I owned, I would be constantly on the lookout for something else to buy. I wanted the change of scenery, the different way to work, the different view from the kitchen window. I am different from my two living brothers. They both built houses in their late20s or early 30s and both still live in them today. Yikes!

So home as a physical space doesn’t mean that much to me. They all have kitchens, bathrooms, and bedrooms. As a physical space, they are easily interchangeable. So is home for me the emotion, the concept?  Maybe because I have been married more than once, and have often been a part-time dad, I never had the home situation that would lead to a strong emotional attachment to any one particular living space. That is a regret that I have. The other regret is never having had a home on a lake, a goal in my life. Now there, I tell myself, I could have stayed. Well, maybe.

So my question remains, mostly, unanswered for myself. I hope all of you are happy with the choices you have made in life. Today, if you live in the Lehigh Valley, it’s a good day to stay warm and dry in the place you call home.