1146. An interior is the natural projection of the soul. ~Coco Chanel

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A house is much more than a mere shelter.
It should lift us emotionally and spiritually.
~John Saladino

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This week I mentioned to a friend that I was getting a new sofa for our living room, and she asked me to send her a picture of it when it came. So I took some photos and afterwards I sat on it a while, along with my cat, enjoying my newly cleaned living room and looking at all the things that we have accumulated therein over the last 40 years. Ours is not a large house and it’s a modest one, but we have done some things within our means over the years to improve and update it. It’s still certainly not a fancy one; but it is ours and so holds all that define who and what James and Natalie and Nikki are. Simply put, it is the altar upon which lie the strivings, good and bad, of our combined lives. And since then I’ve been wondering what others might have to say about what makes a house a home and if it means the same for everyone? So to delve into that quandary I gathered some thoughts by others who more or less put into words what I would say on that subject and decided to accompany them with photos of the part of my house I took that day.

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I always amazes me to thing that every house on every street is full of so many stories; so many triumphs and tragedies, and all we see are yards and driveways. ~Glenn Close

Luxuries are never so comfortable
as
are the familiar, ordinary things of home. ~Eucharista Ward

Home is the one place in all this world where hearts are sure of each other.  It is the place of confidence.  It is the place where we tear off that mask of guarded and suspicious coldness which the world forces us to wear in self-defense, and where we pour out the unreserved communications of full and confiding hearts.  It is the spot where expressions of tenderness gush out without any sensation of awkwardness and without any dread of ridicule. ~Frederick W. Robertson

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Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration. ~Charles Dickens

Home is where we feel at ease,
where we belong,
where we can create surroundings
that reflect our tastes and pleasures…
Making a home is a form
of creativity open to everyone.
~Terence Conran

Home should be an oratorio of the memory, singing to all our after life melodies and harmonies of old-remembered joy. ~Henry Ward Beecher

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Home is a place where we feel safe and comfortable, a place to relax and recharge. ~Catherine Pulsifer

There is a magic in that little world, home;
it is a mystic circle that surrounds comforts
and virtues never known beyond its hallowed limits.
~Robert Southey

Home is the father’s kingdom, the mother’s world and a child’s paradise. Home is the heart of life… ~Christian Morgenstern

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Where is home? Home is where the heart can laugh without shyness. Home is where the heart’s tears can dry at their own pace. ~Vernon G. Baker

Home is
where you can be silent
and still be heard . . .
When you can ask
and find out who you are . . .
Where people laugh with you
about yourself . . .
Where sorrow is divided
and joy multiplied . . .
Where we share and love
and grow.
~Author Unknown

Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young—a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. ~Psalm 84:3  ✝

**The top photo is a part of the front of my house.

19 thoughts on “1146. An interior is the natural projection of the soul. ~Coco Chanel”

  4. Beautiful post. Home is many things and something a little different to everyone. Growing up I never had a single house, so the traditional frame wasn’t home for me. For me it was family who all made up the home. Their love and presence made me feel more protected than any walls could ever have. No matter where we lived, we knew we had the love of God for guidance.

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  5. and then there’s Natalie’s world—an entirely different realm….. 🙂
    You absolutely crack me up!!!
    The house if fab! and I really think you should have been an art teacher!!
    I’d love a new couch but because of one of the cats, I must keep the shredded one for now 🙂
    I can already see me just sitting there with you chillin like a villain 🙂 🙂

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    • That’s why we had to get rid of the one we had. Two old old cats had ruined it. Hopefully this 2 year old won’t have so many issues for a long time! James and I both love art so we have purchased some pieces over the years and a few of them were mine feeble attempts and some were even bequeathed me by students. And then there are all the books that James won’t part with. Oh well it is what it is and who we are! My guess is that your house is truly fab!!! 😊❤️😘

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  6. Thank you for that welcome into your home Natalie. It has made me think about our own – we would describe ours as lived in rather than tidy. Like yours it is full of memories. The last two of our children were born here and even though only one of our five is still at home there are times, like last Christmas, when they all come back with wives and grandchildren occupying every space and filling our home again (do not ask how – it is a squeeze).

    We have a second home – our church. Our church is home in a different but very special way – not the building, but the body of Christ where we very much belong. The church where our youngest two have been nourished in their faith, and from where Beth was called into ministry (by the way she has now been appointed to YFC staff from the end of August and from then she will be leading the Nomad team after two years as a full time volunteer!).

    Then there is the home that is waiting for us with our Heavenly Father. A home with many rooms. That’s the one I am looking forward to exploring.

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    • Thanks for the comment David. I agree about our other homes especially the home we are in in the body of Christ. That’s so great about Beth! May she always do great things in service to our Lord. Have a great weekend my friend❣😊

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  7. Love this post Natalie. Thank you so much for sharing your treasured home and the lovely things that have been added to it throughout the years. Those quotes are wonderful, especially that first one by, John Saladino. Being a missionary that has lived and moved often, I don’t have that one place that I can say has been my home for such and such a time. However, I love the homes that God has provided for me and my family. He has always given us exactly what we’ve needed for every season of our family’s life (up until now). My children love their home, and where we live. Our yard is an entire base that is full of hills, flowers, trees and even exotic animals (gotta watch out for the huge snakes that we see every so often though – Eek). At any rate, I love home and family, and the comfort and security that’s found in it.
    Have a lovely weekend, my dear friend.
    Love and hugs.
    🙂 ❤

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