A Home is What You Make it

 Hello everyone,

When thinking about what a home really means, there are so many different ways I can see it being taken, but a phrase that really sticks with me is, “A home is what you make it”. A home is way more than just the building itself, the furniture inside it, and where it's located. A home is about the people inside it, the memories you create, and the environment you build inside of it. This phrase has always helped me put this into perspective, and helped me change my mindset during a pivotal time in my life.

I originally grew up in El Segundo, California which was a very small town with a tight-knit community. Everyone knew each other there, which made my childhood feel very familiar and comfortable. My idea of what home was had never been challenged before, as I had grown up with the same friends since elementary school, keeping the same relationships throughout my childhood. When my family made an abrupt move to Tennessee when I was 14, I felt for the first time I had to change my perspective on what home was.

For a while after I moved, I felt like what I had left in California was something that would be irreplaceable. The surroundings and people were different, and it was an environment I wasn’t used to. This is really where that idea of “A home is what you make it” really began to strike me. I realized comfort, stability, and a sense of belonging aren’t things that are tied to a location or a building, and rather instead are something that you can foster with your community, family, and friends. Once I started embracing this idea, everything changed. A feeling of home wasn’t something that would just magically appear in front of me, it was something I had to create. I made new friends, found places in my town I enjoyed, and began to really appreciate the community I lived in. 

This realization is something I've carried with me ever since. I went from feeling like I was forced out of my old home, to growing to love Tennessee as my new home, so much so that I now attend school at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. This idea of “A home is what you make it” is something I've carried with me to college as well. This time, I was confident that a change in scenery wouldn’t affect my perspective on what home was, and I’ve made plenty of great relationships in Knoxville, and have met a lot of great mentors as well. 

When I'm able to put all of this into perspective, I can see just how important it is to have a place to call home. This is why the Volunteer Ministry Center is doing great things for the homeless in Knoxville. The money raised to move these people into homes is doing so much more than one would think. It’s not just giving someone a roof over their head and a bed to sleep in. It’s giving them a place where they can create memories, welcome their friends or start their families, and become a part of a community where they feel like they have a purpose.