A home of one’s own is surely one of the wonderful, marvelous joys of life.

People around the world are so different in background, upbringing, taste, and style yet the love of home transcends culture. We live in cottages, houses, apartments, and condominiums. Cabins, huts, estates, and trailers. We live urban, suburban, rural, and rough. We build with wood and brick, block and steel, logs and leaves. Even paper and plastic.

We paint our homes white, beige, cream, and tan. Neutral outside, neutral inside. Sometimes neutral outside and elegant inside. Burgundy, navy, mocha, mint. Or we steal glances at magazines with homes that break all rules: wild outside and wild inside, colors cascading upon our senses: teal, saffron, rose, and azure. Swathes of iridescent luxury. We like those.

We decorate our homes. Big bold couches and dainty chairs. Georgian or Bauhaus or Early American Garage Sale. We use walnut, cherry, oak, and particleboard. We put pictures on our walls and quilts on our beds. Or is it the other way around?

We love comfort. We buy cushions and cashmere, porcelain and pillows. We buy satin and silk and silverware. We celebrate our holidays with candles and lights and garlands and flags, dressing up for some—and down for others.

And the food! Ah, the food! We simmer, we sizzle, we sear, we stew. We steam, we steep, we sauté and flambé. An intricate dance of taste and texture, so deep in our senses that home cooking becomes home. How many delights! Could life be called life without coffee or chocolate?

We love our neighbors. We want them close—but not too close. We want them far—but not too far. Someone to smile at, someone to wave to. A friendly presence in a separate world—right next to ours. “Cada quien en su casa y Dios en la de todos.” Everyone in their house and God in everyone’s.

We labor over our homes. We fix them up and occasionally tear them down. We add additions and create subdivisions. We park on driveways and drive on parkways. We landscape, treescape, waterscape, and sometimes escape.

We love our homes because homes are our refuge, our place to be ourselves, our place to live and celebrate and rest. Home is the cradle of life, a place where our life unfolds, were we grow ourselves and grow our families. Home is at the heart of our lives. What is it that makes home so much more than just a place? Why is home so fulfilling, so nurturing, so comforting, so enduring?

Because home is where love is.

Life. Love. Home.

Happiness.