Strength Of A Home. What Should Go On In And Outside It

Enoch, the home to NA's is the family, the home and the teachings in the home are of utmost importance. School teaches one thing, the home teaches many things. The family, your clan, your band, your tribe/nation are your grounding. NA's are citizens of two nations, our Native Nation and our nation the U.S. Our heritage/culture is very important, nothing to be tossed aside as it is our soul. At the heart of all Pow Wow's is the drum, the heartbeat of our people.

There's a lot that could be said about this, Enoch, not about its importance or integrity... that's a given, but rather in its (the foundation) ability to faulter in a 'stronger' environment.

Very nice article. Thank you.

Enjoyed the article, Enoch.

Over the years, I've come to learn that what I thought made a good home, is not for me, much to my mother's dismay. Growing up, we had love, but lots of rules to maintain order and a peaceful coexistence. It was important that our neighbors saw us as "proper."

I discovered that I prefer chaos and laughter, even if that means a noisy, messy home. I tend to have more meaningful conversations with my kids, if I'm not nagging them about table manners. I spend more time with them, if I'm not yelling at them to clean their rooms. I decided I'd rather laugh with them, instead of giving them constant orders.

I don't know what this does for the community, but it's allowed me to maintain my sanity for a bit longer:)

Thank you for this article, Enoch. It makes me think of what we most value in our homes - comforts for the body, the heart, and the spirit. A sense of belonging. Home clearly isn't just a place; it's a state of mind and the hub of our most important relationships.

In this context I can't help thinking about the experience of homelessness that is becoming daily more common in this country. I can barely begin to imagine how emotionally devastating it is, how empty must be the feeling of having no haven, however small and simple, to return to at the end of the day. That this condition is allowed to exist in a wealthy nation is unconscionable and tragic.

Enoch,

Even if only one person loves you, that is home. If you can shine at home, you can shine anywhere.

Viva la amour!

I think unconditional love, respect, communication and support are the four cornerstones of a good home. Everything else is basically an offshoot of those. That's my take anyways.

Unless you live at Jay's. Then it's a barf bag, Pepto Bismal, a diaper and the white throne. The rest is built off that.

I fall back on the words of the poem by Robert Frost (Death Of A Hired Man) in which he says, "Home is the place where, when you go there, they have to take you in."

It's another way of saying, as Boomer did, that if only one person loves you, that is home, and as Grisham did, that unconditional love, respect, communication and support are the four cornerstones of a good home. Those cornerstones may not be in the physical plane, but in the heart and soul of a friend and loved one you know is there to cloak you in love, warmth and forgiveness when you stumble on the path of life.

Home to me is where you feel the most comfortable in surrounded by family and friends that love you unconditionally.

If you want a child to read, read to them. Reading in the search for knowledge and to stay informed of what is going on in the world will never let you down.

Love and wisdom passed down from your parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents are very important. Never be afraid to ask your parents a question. Parents help your children with their homework, don't do it for them just help them. Don't let anyone bully your younger brother or sister. Discuss what is going on around the home, school, town, and the country. Discuss your feelings and anything that comes to mind. Learning by helping with the projects and repairs around the home are very important. Never be afraid to say "I'm Sorry" or "I Apologise".

I like what Joshua said in Joshua 24:

¹⁵And if you be unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

He makes a commentment that his entire household will serve the Lord.

Psalms 127: 1 Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

Reminds me that the family is G-s structure and the work of His hands. I would like to end with this verse:

Genesis 12: ¹ Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. ² And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves."

This verse covers it all; you can't curse what G-d has blessed.

G-d bless and keep Israel. Amen

Speaking as a person who grew up in a very disfunctional home, I place great weight on tolerance and patience in the home. Children are most affected by what they see their parents and others do. Walk the talk, as they say. We need to be what we ask them to be.

Enoch- Thank you for the story. I liked it a lot.

Here is a prayer for you.

Enoch my dear friend! Another one of your jewls of wisdom! Thank you for the reminders you drop on us. ♥

My first home is my heart, and everyone who lives there. My second home is the building in which I dwell. As long as there are people/things I love, then it is home, whether apt., house, car, or mansion. I didn't have a very good home growing up, so my home is what I strive to make it. Daily. I never cared if I had perfect furniture, because kids are not perfect in their use of furniture! LOL My children felt cared for and loved in whatever place we lived in, (most of them old and/or run down) because that was the choice and promise that I made. That my loved ones should dwell in all the love and caring I could give them.

My third home is right here in these columns, because I have so many loved ones here, whether I see them or not. I have been shown kindness and thoughtfulness here, I love and appreciate it, so it is another one of my homes. I'm not rich, but I have several homes! :-)

Thank you Enoch. Home is where the heart is.

Good topic Enoch! My physical home has changed many times but my feelings about what home should be for me hasn't. For me home is sanctuary, heart, communication, intimacy, creativity/productivity and rest. I will say the true core to home for me is love. The love I feel and receive from my husband, furry critters, family and friends is the essence of my home whatever locality it is. You can have a house but love makes a home.

Having just come back from a family reunion this article seems very appropriate.

Home.....Not necessarily a brick and mortar place where one lays their head at the end of the day.

Home.....Can be a geographical location that holds memories, and people that have similar values, beliefs, and customs.

Home.....The sanctuary, wherever that may be, where one can fully express their thoughts and feelings.

definitely not gnomes.. in or out.

I believe that the most difficult thing to know all through life is one's place. Knowing one's place starts in the home from early days of life. Where I am in the family structure - mother father sister brother niece nephew etc., eldest youngest middle child, one of many.... This structure stays with us forever, defines us in such a way that we continue those stations in our relationships throughout our lives.

Then we have the knowing of ones place when we decide to move, or be moved, or to be the mover. This wisdom is learned in the early years of being home with family, no matter what the situations were there.

For me home should be comfort, privacy, responsibilities that define our worth in an intimate group. Home is where we develop our value system, either to reinforce what we perceive as good or to reject what we know to be not good. What is seeded or weeded out in our early years is what blooms or dies out in society. Who we are, culture, language, humor, beliefs, all began from the womb to the cradle, from the dinner table to the list of chores, from reestablishing ourselves independently from that nucleus to holding our grandchildren - even to how we are buried - it starts at home. Of all the things I took away with me from serving 11 years in a soup kitchen, it is that first and foremost family and home, either filled with aspirations and respect or devoid of them, can and usually will determine our fates. We must be careful to to be sensitive to this, knowing that we influence one another within our families, and this influence is forever. Let it be pure and good, let us be worthy of one another.

Enoch, my friend, you raise important questions.

In my opinion, the home we make for ourselves and our family is one of the most basic and critical responsibilities we have.

Our first nine months are spent being nurtured in our mother's womb. From there we are nurtured in our family's home.

A healthy and happy mother usually produces a healthy and happy baby. A healthy and happy home usually produces a healthy and happy adult.

Since healthy and happy individuals are at the centers of neighborhoods, communities, cities, states, and countries, it only stands to follow how important the home is.

The essence of a healthy and happy home is love and respect. Each member of the home must love and respect themselves and each other. Leaving the home with the desire to exhibit the same love and respect to those one encounters spreads the healthy and happy approach to life.

In my opinion, the glue which binds all of this together is an acknowledgement of, a respect for, and a love of our Creator. Everything else in our lives is physical and subject to damage and destruction.

In my case, I am a Christian. I have seen the scenario which I present bear fruit. And I might add that I have also seen other belief philosophies bear fruit as well.

The key, I think, is love and respect.

A final point. I have observed that a family that avoids Jay's Diner has a greater chance of being healthy and happy.

Thank you Enoch, for this thought provoking topic. Al