A month after we've finished remodeling, I'm still not sure what to make of my new family room. The deep oak flooring was a welcome departure from the old gray carpet and I thought the French provincial sofa added a touch of class that the old red futon could never hope to provide. But now that everything is suddenly new, elegant, and modern, I kind of miss my old family room. Without it, home just doesn't feel the same.
I recently flipped through the family photo albums and found pictures of the old family room, and of a younger me. I landed on photos from my preschool days in which I re-enacted scenes from Star Wars on the gray carpet. In another photo, I was laughing at the camera, cuddled in my smiling mother's lap, all on the red futon.
The carpet and futon are long gone, but the precious moments my family shared in that beloved old family room are still there, captured in photo. Home, of course, matters to me. It's a source of warmth and belonging, and a place that, until recently, I thought would never change. Photos, too, matter to me. They're perfect, frozen stills of fond memories. My concept of home will continue to redefine itself as I grow older, and if I ever feel like home is changing a little too fast, I know I can always dig up the family photo albums and remember the gray carpet and red futon.
I recently flipped through the family photo albums and found pictures of the old family room, and of a younger me. I landed on photos from my preschool days in which I re-enacted scenes from Star Wars on the gray carpet. In another photo, I was laughing at the camera, cuddled in my smiling mother's lap, all on the red futon.
The carpet and futon are long gone, but the precious moments my family shared in that beloved old family room are still there, captured in photo. Home, of course, matters to me. It's a source of warmth and belonging, and a place that, until recently, I thought would never change. Photos, too, matter to me. They're perfect, frozen stills of fond memories. My concept of home will continue to redefine itself as I grow older, and if I ever feel like home is changing a little too fast, I know I can always dig up the family photo albums and remember the gray carpet and red futon.
