Houses: For Tina, Stacey and Vanessa
August 26, 2007 by kellylock
Today, I opened my Somerset Home magazine, and opened to the Welcome Home section, which quotes Oprah, “I think that when we invite people to your home, you invite them to yourself.”
This is a fitting quote on so many levels. I think of my girl friends who’ve had tumultous lives and they remember the houses they lived in during each significant period of their lives. I talked to Stacey last night about a conversation she had with one of her friends about her reason for moving to her last house. I think of her story about her family slides and how no one can know what order to put them in but her family because of the significance of the houses they were living in at the time. I think of Vanessa and her house with the blue door, and Tina’s memories of sleepwalking at a certain house, and I think of all the houses I’ve lived in–14 in total.
As I prepare for students to come to my classroom, I think of the autobiographies I’ll have them write, and the one activity I always ask them to do: create a life map using all the houses you’ve lived in to tell your story.
Each house was significant for us. Each door, window, creak in the floor reminds us of a moment in our lives that we cannot forget–good or bad. As I looked through the Somerset Home issue, I noticed an artist who created tapestries to look like houses and decorated them to reflect the homes.
Today, your challenge is to write about those homes you lived in. Yes, good or bad, you must create your autobiography. Celebrating my grandma’s 80th yesterday caused me to stop and think about the stories she’s told of her houses. If you have photos of the houses you’ve lived in, find them. Create a collage. If you don’t have photos, draw them, color them with your memories, no matter how poor an artist you are.
In the coming months, Tina will be doing art with the doors she photographed in Italy. I can’t wait to see them, but the doors to her own houses are her real story.
Here is a prompt to get you started, “As I opened the door….” Tell me what you see. Think about the homes you’ve created for your children. What do they say about your today? What will your children say when it’s time for them to do the same autobiography?
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Hmmm…I think I only have three photos of the last three homes. Now I haveta check! xo
I want you as a teacher
How wonderful that you give prompts to get writing started. I have been working on free style poetry this summer, don’t mind if I use this?
Oh, and did I reply to you on using my photos for your students? I would be flattened with honor if you did!
So….Kel…whatcha doin? Do anything special tonight? Or just another hitting the books kinda night? j/w xoxo
You hit it on the head about the houses of our childhood. I have pages and pages of memory writings that were all written and organized (and remembered) based on the house where they happened.
Several years ago Eric and I went back to some of my childhood homes. Seeing them brought back memories I didn’t know I had. One in particular left me very sad, and helped me to understand where the larger sadness in me came from. It was a moving experience to visit those homes–both in real time and in writing.
Kelly,
I very much remember nearly every house I have lived in. Having moved back to the area I grew up in I have driven by some of the houses I have lived in. The one in the projects, my first apartment house (grey when I lived in but is now green). I also drove by the house that burnt to the ground and has been rebuilt and doesn’t look like the house I lived in. I also drove by several of my various foster parent’s homes. Just being near the houses has brought up many memories. (Yes I realize I am late at responding to this post).
Thank you for my journal entry tonight. And I am going to go back by those houses and take photographs.