As I was reading through our short stories about what ‘home’ is to us, I found many common themes and shared values. Although all the stories were different and unique in their own ways, many of us had the general sense of ‘home’ in common and agreed that it was not a place, but a feeling and loved ones.

Firstly, home is family. It is our loved ones who will care for us and support us unconditionally. Home is wherever they are. In all six stories I read, family was a major theme in all of them. For some, family and/or loved ones was the definition of home. For others, family is what made a place feel like home.

Second, home is comfort and familiarity. Home is somewhere we know. It’s somewhere we feel safe in. This overlaps with family, as many of us seemed to find comfort and familiarity anywhere with our families.

Third, home is nature. The kind of nature we find beautiful, like the sound of birds chirping or waves lapping at the shore. Nature could bring us a sense of peace and calm, which feeds into our sense of home.

Lastly, home is memories. It’s our childhood, our firsts, and our happiest of times. In all six stories I read, they related to either a general sense of their childhood or a specific story that could generalize their childhood. In these cases that I read, childhood also included the comfort of our loved ones.

Through reading these stories, I have tweaked my definition of home. I now believe home is where you feel safe and at ease, and where your memories have been and/or will be created.