I’ve remained ignorant to the sacrifices the place I call home has endured. The scratched windows, the creaking doors, the stained carpets, they have existed for longer than I can remember, but never before have I given them much thought. When I was begged the question, “What makes a house a home,” those imperfections began to make sense.
The so-called stains are not simply just that, but they are rather reminders of valuable memories and lessons I have absorbed. My house has been the crucible for every moment in my life. As many others, I live with my mother, father, and my only sister, who is 4 years older than I am. My father has taught me I have to work hard to get what I want in life, I can’t skip the ‘work hard’ part. My mother has taught me that I will always have talent and to always use it. My sister, she is my role model and inspiration. She has taught me I don’t have to be the perfect role model all the time, everyone makes mistakes, including her. Each of my family members have taught me so much, they have empowered me and pushed me to be my best. I found my desire in being an EMT and I will work hard to get there, my family has supported me in every way, which has made me feel confident I will succeed in the future.
My home has created so much happiness by my family, it’s where the graduations, birthdays, and holidays are celebrated, but is also where slanders and shouts are thrown. Anger, sadness, frustration, and disagreements happen in my home but they are all life lessons. My family only want the best for me, the shouts are out of love, they teach me mistakes can happen and to learn from them. They teach me to do better. Staying out past my curfew or not cleaning my room leads to these emotions within my family and causes shouts, but I only learn from them and do better. Through the good, the bad, the seemingly perfect, and the apparently God-awful times, I have forged the necessary armor and equipment for the treacherous world beyond the insulated walls. It has nourished my heart into something bigger than a blimp, and my brain into a powerhouse larger than the moon.
My home has prepared me for the adult world. As I graduate and start my EMT career, I will be prepared from the lessons learned in my home. Contrary to the places of work and school, my home is where my family is. My family is what has made a house into our home. They have given me memories and my life lessons, and no matter what four walls I’m in between and what roof I live under, the place with the most scars and scratched will always be my home.
