Down the Yellow Brick Road~
“There’s no place like home” is such a true statement. We don’t need our ruby slippers, a wicked witch, or a yellow brick road to validate this. There is simply no place like home. A home where your heart is and your roots are. A home that provides comfort, love, and shelter. A home that just seems to beckon you back after a trip, long or short. The English dictionary states that home, derived from the Old English word ham, means a village of souls gathered together. Simply put, but with a lot of meaning.
A village of souls gathered together. A community together.
Take a moment and replay those words inside your head. Such a powerful statement that holds a lot of weight to it. The importance of a home, of the security it provides, of the community that supports you and has your back. This is what makes a house a home and a village a community; Not the pretty or trendy things you fill with it, but the people in it and the memories that are created along the way.
Our Community Spotlight article this month (out in mid March) features just that; a couple from Randolph that have been a huge part of the community and have spread the love, the positivity, have connected with so many people, and have helped create some amazing memories within the town of Randolph. Memories like a virtual paint night with a specialty cocktail, or a meeting at a farmers market, or even a casual Saturday morning stroll. Their joy, their dedication, their laughter, and their presence really shows that home is where the heart is. (Also really makes you want to be friends with them.)
As an avid thrifter and antique collector, my home is filled with some gorgeous pieces that my husband and I have found in our journey or things that have been found throughout the years. It’s an old farmhouse in Franklin, built by my husband’s grandparents, so you know that right off the bat, there have been lots of memories created. When I first moved in, my husband told me right from the start that, “this house will always be the family farmhouse. It is a place where anyone can stay if they need to; it is a place where people can come and gather at any time of day; it is the place where family is everything.”
Although I grumbled quite a bit at the beginning, I realized that my husband was right and that even though our house is filled with my specifically curated pieces that do make me happy, ultimately it is the memories and the people that make me the happiest. We are a little community where we do have each other's backs through thick and thin. There will be tears and laughter, as well as good times and bad times, but there will always be heart and soul.
There will always be a village of souls gathering together.
How has your community been like a home to you?