Safe Place

“The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned” ~ Maya Angelou

I write about home frequently.  Next to grace and the opportunity to receive eternal life, home is the greatest gift given to mankind.

It really hurts me when I find some people do not have a safe place to call home. I can't hardly imagine their pain, because everyone needs a haven.

I was dumbstruck when I learned there were students at our community school who would actually rather stay after school for tutoring than to have to go home early.

What makes home a haven, anyway?

Is it an HGTV-inspired space with costly furnishings? It would be nice, but not necessary to have a beautiful home. Does the home provide shelter from the elements? It is warm and dry? These qualities are what is important. I personally believe it needs to be picked up and clutter-free because people rest so much better in organized spaces.

Are you safe at home? Unfortunately, domestic violence is rampant in the very place where it is supposed to be a safe place. Home should be where there is never a shadow of abuse.

In fact, home should be a place of unquestioning acceptance.  Perhaps we might not agree with every choice a family member makes and there might have to be correction and discipline. But in spite of conflict, there should be an underlying realization that each member of the family is loved, needed and accepted. It doesn't mean there can't be change and / or improvement, but at the end of the day, there is the quiet satisfaction in knowing, "you are my people and I am there for you, just like you are there for me."

I asked my husband what made home a haven.  He said ours was a haven of love. I asked him what made his childhood home a haven. His reply really spoke to me as a mom and a homemaker (a badge I wear proudly). He said home was "knowing Mom would be there when we got home."

I've decided that, for me, "home is where my people are." I can be happy anywhere my loved ones are. Could it be that we each carry the spirit of home with us? If we cherish the values of love and family, we take it with us wherever we go. People can be drawn to us just because there is an air of love and acceptance emanating from us.

If we do not have a home that nourishes and protects us, I believe we can create such a place with God's help. There is a beautiful scripture that says this:

 "God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains." (Psalm 68:6)

Seek God if your home is not a safe place. He can heal families, He can deliver those who are in bondage. And if need be, I believe He will create family just to include you.

This post was written in response to Writer's Workshop prompt # 3. “The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned” ~ Maya Angelou - Now write. You can link up your post at Kat Bouska's blog, Mama's Losin' It, or ...

You can leave a comment and let us know, "What does home mean to you?"