What does it take to make a home? Is there a simple recipe to creating that safe space we all think about when the word Home comes to mind? Where can we find the secret formula for building the perfect home life?
We all carry those nostalgic memories with us, of the place we grew up in. memories of a happy childhood, with our siblings, cousins and close friends. Flashes of smiles, games and adventures. Many of which are reconstructed from yellowing photos aided by memory. More than a few of our early memories of our home life are related to food. Holidays and shabbat meals are the perfect setting to create those home life memories which last a lifetime in our minds. We have those vivid recollections of the family sitting together, eating and conversing. Sometimes we can even remember the pattern on the plate and the smell of the food.
Some of these bits of past are true to reality and others were embellished by time and wishful thinking, but we all have that ideal image of a home. We long to create such a space for our family, for the people we love. We hope to provide them with the same pure feelings to accompany their future nostalgia, with a secret wish that no embellishment would be needed on their part.
The home we create for our family is an ongoing work of love and dedication. We start by choosing it according to our needs. Whether it’s the actual size of the place, and its location, all things considered, since this is where our children will experience their most cherished moments. We decorate our homes to display our values and beliefs, to show our style and social status. A flag of the country we love as it waves out on the porch, an artistic piece of judaica hanging on a wall and a desk ornament with the star of david are probably a part of many vivid childhood memories for us.
Our home changes and we do, we grow into it and it grows on us. In our early years as a family, perhaps just as a couple, our home is often smaller, just big enough for the couple, adjusted to contain the love of two people with a few pieces of Judaica they received as a gift to brighten their everyday routine.
Later in life, as our nights become less restful and our hearts grow wider, the home is filled with toys, noise and joy as our children join the party. Playful Mezuzahs are hung around the house, to instill important values in the little ones as they grow just tall enough to reach up and kiss it.
The years pass, our children grow older, as we do, and the home shifts to a more turbulent state, frequented with music, a parade of class and neighborhood friends, changing styles and the occasional slam of a door. Those are the years when we enjoy adding artistic pieces of judaica to the walls of our home to remind the entire family of the true basis on which the family is built on.
The children grow up and leave the home to create their own home life, and we continue to adjust and modify our own home to the current of life. With more delicate pieces of beautiful judaica and fun reminders of our place in the family.
Our home is always the place we wish to be in. Whether quiet or noisy, full or empty. When we’re off at work, we count the minutes until we can walk through the door and kick off our shoes. Even when we’re away on a luxurious vacation, we think of the small comforts our home affords us. There’s truly no place like home.
Home Life is that bountiful combination of all the emotions and activities that make a home what it really is.
We all know the bricks and stone walls are just the outer shell. Of course, without it, we wouldn’t have a sheltered home, but those layers of cement are not what we think about when we ponder our home. The real feeling is associated with the contents of the home. We remember the atmosphere and laughter. Home life is the nicknames that are used only within the home, the wall hangings that we grew up looking at, not always understanding their true meaning, and the heartfelt conversations which often start out of nowhere at the end of a good shabbat dinner.
We can always add more judaica to our home life. The homes we worked hard to build and maintain are the essence of love and family in our lives. Pouring more sacred values into that beautiful frame always brings more smiles and warm sentiments.
We each create our own home according to our wishes, memories, style and direction in life. Our homes are so different from one another since they are an external display of our inner selves. Whatever items we choose to display in our homes has the effect of changing the vibe and atmosphere of the space, so we should always put our family’s best interest when choosing the finest products to decorate our home.
We here at Shalom house, wish that your home will always be filled with Shalom - peace, and will be the backdrop in many happy memories.
