While pondering this question and trying to decide how I was going to write this essay, I decided to look up both the definitions for a house and a home. According to Google, a house is “A building for human habitation, especially one that is lived in by a family or a small group of people” while a home is “the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or a household”(Google.com). While I do agree with the definition of a house, that it is more of a shelter, I disagree with the definition of a home. You see, in my definition of a home; it doesn’t have to be your permanent residence. A home is a shelter, but not in the sense that a house is. I recently heard a story while watching TV, and the lady said that she was homeless and living in her car while pregnant with her son. When she bore her son, she moved into a house with some family members. She said that her dream was to win the money in order to have a home for her son because the place she was living in was just a house. A home is a shelter from fears, from violence, from pain. It is a place you are proud to be and where you want to live, where you are cherished, cared for, and protected. If you aren’t cared for, loved, and protected then your living in a house and not a home. Shelter can be found virtually anywhere, and lots of people can find shelter in the same place. A house, a cave, a tree, a car, and even a center can all be shelter for everyone. A home, though, is unique to you and your life circumstances. People are going to be cared for and loved in all different places which is why everyone’s home is unique. I can proudly say my home is here in Washington, I don’t remember when we lived in Chicago because I was so little when we moved, yet both my parents would say their home is in Chicago or Wisconsin. Yet here we are, living in Washington for the past 13 years and my parents don’t call it home. Why? My parents feel loved for, cared for, and protected back in Wisconsin and Chicago, while I feel that here in Washington. A home is different from a shelter because it protects you from violence, it is a place to let go. In a home you experience no fears, no anxiety, instead you feel loved and protected. A home is not a house, and it is not just a shelter, it is a home. A loving, caring environment where you can thrive and be you.
