What makes a house a home?

Our son, Nick, and his fiancé, Kristi, bought a house!  It’s official – they are homeowners!  He will be living there alone until they get married in October.  Of course, in true Granger form, it’s a “fixer-upper”!  So, we’ve been spending every evening and every weekend over there, working our butts off!  We’ve painted, cleaned, scraped and swept.  We’ve tiled, laid hardwood, rewired and built walls.  We’ve done all this to make this cute, little house a home for Nick and Kristi . . . but, here’s the question:  Does all this work really make a house a home? 

Will the transformation from this:

 

to this:

make a happy home for our kids?

Will the the blood (yes, there has been an injury or two!), sweat, and tears make their marriage more successful?  Will the fact that the walls are freshly painted or the floors are shiny and new make our future grandkids any happier or healthier? 

Of course not. 

THIS is what makes it a home:

It’s the family and friends that show up to help.  It’s laughter and silliness, singing along to oldies on the radio, and the smell of chili in the crockpot while you work!  Nick and Kristi are blessed with family and friends that love them.  THAT’s what makes this house a home!