Where Love Lives, the Heart Finds Rest
True homes are not built from marble and gold but from love, friendship, and the warmth of belonging.
A Home Song
Henry Van Dyke
I read within a poet’s book
A word that starred the page:
“Stone walls do not a prison make,
Nor iron bars a cage!”
Yes, that is true; and something more
You’ll find, where’er you roam,
That marble floors and gilded walls
Can never make a home.
But every house where Love abides,
And Friendship is a guest,
Is surely home, and home-sweet-home:
For there the heart can rest.
📝 Reflection
Henry Van Dyke’s A Home Song invites us to look past walls, floors, and decorations to discover what truly makes a home. The poem reminds us that safety and beauty may create shelter, but they cannot nurture the soul. Home is less about architecture and more about atmosphere. Where love abides and friendship flourishes, the heart feels at peace. We are called to reflect on the spaces we inhabit: do they carry an air of welcome, kindness, and connection? A true home is not measured by grandeur but by whether laughter echoes in the halls, comfort lingers in silence, and love is present in every corner.
What is one small way you bring love or friendship into your home to make it feel like a true resting place?