in my home

Here are some shots of our new place, as it comes together. It is unfinished (as always, right?) but feeling more like home every day. I uploaded these photos onto my facebook account, and then went through and tagged people. I tagged Natalie, in the things she's given me, and Jamie, for the housewarming plant and her book I'm borrowing. I tagged my mom, for her pieces of art and the heavy side table that has traveled with me for my entire life as I remember, from Wyoming to Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee, and back to Georgia. I tagged Jessie, for the basket she gave to me. As I looked at the photos and matched names to items in my home, I realized how many of my things were given as gifts by friends, or created by hands of the ones I love the most.
There is the bench from my grandmother, and the pillow she made and sent to me. There are the items given by friends who were moving, and wanted to pare down. Almost all of my things have been handed-down, given, or gifted to me. I know my home is simple and modest, and that's the way I prefer it to be. I like to give rooms some space to breathe in, and decorate sparsely. The things I have, though, I dearly treasure. The items surrounding me are drenched with history. I find beauty in all my things, most of all in their stories. I love to look around my home and realize how truly blessed I am with what matters most - relationships. In my home I feel at peace, and I feel loved. It is for me what I most wish a home to be - a sanctuary and a refuge.

How do you relate to the things in your home? Do you also have some treasured items?