Sounds of the Seasons

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Sounds of the Season

My oldest daughter and I were talking recently about the things that make home feel like home. What she told me was surprising. For her, it seems, it is the sounds. Eldest daughter's bedroom is upstairs, and she listens to the goings on in the kitchen before she decides if it is time to start her day. She will lay awake and listen for me to get up. She knows that it is time to get the day started in the winter, if she hears me open the lid on the wood cookstove and the fire crackles to life. She hears the water boiling for tea and the teapot lid clunk. She hears the telltale sound of teacups clinking as I carry them from their home in the cupboard to the tea table in front of the stove. She hears me softly tell her dad that the tea is steeping. That is when she makes her appearance - when that first cuppa is piping hot, and the muted conversation is uncomplicated by younger siblings. To Eldest Daughter, that is home.

Summer has different sounds. Rather than listening for the wood cookstove to roar to life, eldest daughter listens for the sound of the garage door going up. She anticipates the sounds of tea being carried to the sunroom, so that we can enjoy the sunrise accompanied by the lively music of Meadowlarks and Robins. She waits for her dad to get seated, then takes her place in the sunroom to enjoy the togetherness that hallmarks the start of another day. To Eldest Daughter, this is home.

I love the fact that my children love home. I love that home calls to them when they are away. I think they will carry their memories of home with them always. I believe they will create havens of rest and safety for themselves and their families because they first knew the love of home.