We live in a world of home improvements. Television shows, magazines, and superstores are devoted to making our homes more livable. The possibilities are endless. But what of the home building that happens in our hearts?
A wise religious leader taught: “There is no home without love. You may have a palace and yet not have a home, and you may live in a log house with a dirt roof and a dirt floor, and have there the most glorious home in all the world, if within those four log walls there permeates the divine principle of love.”[i]
Homes are not made of brick and mortar, timber and tile. Homes are made of compassion and caring, service and sacrifice, kindness and love.
In the children’s classic reader The Best Nest, Mrs. Bird becomes discontent with her home. “I’m tired of this old place,” she complains. And so Mrs. Bird and Mr. Bird set out to find a new home. But in the commotion, they become separated and wonder if they’ll ever see each other again. Suddenly, all that becomes important to them is being reunited.[ii]
And so it is for each of us. As we grow older, we realize that home is not so much a place as a feeling: knowing that you belong, that you’re part of a family. If our homes are not as we would like them to be, begin today by doing your part. Apologize. Make amends. Spend time together. Listen attentively. Pray fervently. Whether living alone or with a house full of children, it’s never too late for home improvements.
Program #3951
[i] David O. McKay, Pathways to Happiness (1957), 114.
[ii] See P. D. Eastman, The Best Nest (1968).