What Does My House Say About Me?

No, I really don’t have conversations with my floors and ceiling, but if it could talk, what would my house say about me? A few years ago, a popular television program aired called If Walls Could Talk. Do you remember that show? It was one of my favorites because old secrets were found tucked away in the walls or attics or in the basements of houses. Looking back at the houses my family and I have lived in through the years, I wonder what they would say? Would the ceilings ring with remembered laughter? Would the floorboards creak with the weighty problems that we lived through?

I like a clean house. Not spotless, but reasonably clean and attractive. That, I can manage. Lovely furnishings and the latest updates are a little beyond my budget, but no matter. I was always taught to take care of whatever I had, whether it was fine or lowly. Even the least expensive bookcase looks great if the luster of wood shines through and, most of all, if it is filled with books.

Some of the happiest times I can remember center around washing dishes at my mother’s house, with her and my sister. We talked, we giggled, we shared a few private conversations and when all was said and done, the kitchen sparkled. I distinctly remember, in the years before my sister married, that Saturday was cleaning day. It probably sounds selfish but I, as a little girl, loved seeing my sister Helen dust our old, mahogany library table. By the time she was finished, the dark wood gleamed. It gave me a feeling of satisfaction.  I should have been helping, but being one of the younger members of the family, many times my help just wasn’t appreciated that much.

Anyway, it is my belief that people leave their mark on houses. I’m not talking about anything supernatural or ghostly, but don’t you think houses sort of absorb the personality of the ones living within their walls? I do.

Granger Mansion is a house like that. Several generations lived in that big house before Ned McNeil inherited it. Perhaps that’s why she felt so much at home there–her grandparents and her mother and uncle had lived there. Ned’s mother called it The Home Place. I’ll bet you have a place like that in your memory too.

But, this house held a few secrets that went back even further than Ned’s family. That’s what was behind all the trouble that plagued Ned. She had no idea of the history that lay hidden somewhere deep within the boards and mortar in Granger’s Mansion. (By the Fright of the Silvery Moon)

Do you have some old house stories of your own? Do you enjoy the house you live in and truly feel it is home? Whether it is a grand, sweeping place or a small cottage, I’ll let you in on the most important aspect of any home. It isn’t a spotless carpet nor is it a gleaming kitchen. It’s love! If love lives within those four walls, that’s the best thing any house can say about you.