Dear Beth and Marian,

I have always felt that the place that you live in is more than an apartment or house.

Every place that I have lived in is an important memory for me.  A real house nurtures the soul.  It is a home.  What makes a house a home?  What makes a place a home that nurtures the soul?  Is it the physical space?  Is it the surrounding area—the nature, woods, or water views?  Is the people who come and visit, the people you know, the relationships you developed while there.

For me it was the people who lived in that home and the relationships which evolved over years?  The activities that took place, your birthday parties, the holiday dinners—Thanksgiving, the Passover Seders, eating ice-cream around the dining room table when everyone should be in bed all added up to family history?  You and your brother helped make the house a home.  I loved when we had guests and what the foods we ate together.  Remember those everything bagels, the pretzels, the black and white cookies?

What also makes a house a home are the things in it because they are often memories.  For me it was my mother’s dining room table, my grandmother’s candlesticks, the second-hand bureau, and the new lamp that I loved.  All these “things” added to the soul of house and enriched our lives.  And all the events that took place, you growing up, me growing up, all of us young, but learning about love and connectedness.

What does your home bring you?  What do you want to happen there?  What can you bring to your home that will nurture your soul?

Love and kisses.

Your mom, August 2014.