Home is one of those words that means something to everybody.

For many of us, ‘home’ may refer to a number of different places.

For example, when we say home, we usually mean the place where we currently live – whether alone, with our friends or with our partner and/or children.

As adults, we will also refer to our parents’ house as “home” as well – this usually being the place where we spent our childhood and formative years.

As we move through the world, we can have many physical homes over time – many of us moving house several times over our lifetime.

And yet, no matter how many times we change house, we still refer to it as home.

So, what do we actually mean when we talk about our home?

Home?

As someone who moved around a lot as a young man, when I talked about home during those days I was referring to the family home where I grew up and where some of my happiest childhood memories were created.

In this context, home has connotations of security, love, warmth and humanity.

Not bricks and mortar, garages, furniture or games consoles.

We will each of us develop our own concept of what home is and for many of us this will be something that transcends where we live.

Our house may be a part of it, for sure, but it is not all.

Take all the people and memories out of your house and you would see a building with things in it – not a home.

We all know the saying ‘home is where the heart is’: but, for me, this is only part of the story.

Home can be anywhere, anything or anybody that provides us with that something that makes us feel secure, loved and happy.

When we say we are coming home, it is usually to be with someone else – a loved one.

So, for me, home is not a place – it is a feeling, an emotion. It has meaning that is special to us.

Not an object, but a subject.

Home is what you feel when you look into the eyes of a loved and tell them how much they mean to you.

At its highest expression, home is not where the heart is – it is where the soul lives.