Investment consultants report of all assets of the American people, the home is the single most tangible asset. For some it is "the castle," for others "the house on the hill" and for a growing number, as the great American dream of middle class erodes, families may refer to home as the place they used to live.
When I was growing up, before the phrase "mobile home" was invented, our family lived in trailers. In fact, one day, the school bus driver made the mistake of calling us trailer park kids "trailer trash." Big mistake! The next day my father was waiting at the bus stop. He pulled this poor driver off the school bus and "required" him to apologize to the park children.
Other times in my life, homes were modest, 60 year old structures. For a time, I lived on three acres on a beautiful inland lake. Today my wife says living in our current home completes her lifelong dream to her exact specifications!
I've been truly blessed. However, when I think of my blessings the house itself doesn't first come to mind. What comes to mind is family and the quiet, happy times that make any house a home.
Too often we equate size, cost, convenience and neighborhood with our perfect home. I don't think those characteristics mean all that much in the grand scheme of things. With foreclosures at an all time high, many Americans are reassessing the difference between house and home.
A house is only as strong as its foundation. We can use the same principle when talking about home. The true foundation for the family home is love, respect and concern for each other.
The blessings we each receive are not always the same in this tangible realm. Some are blessed with the castle, others the modest bungalow. Regardless, all can embrace family values, a thankful attitude and faith that a life well spent is a life that impacts others.
As parents, my wife and I talk of memory building, of holding events that touch the hearts of our children and grandchildren. Memory building doesn't require much in the sense of décor and style. Instead, we concentrate on nurturing memories that establish an emotional connection.
You can do the same! Plan a special event, maybe on a birthday or holiday. Plan a full agenda of games and activities. Establish family traditions. Use the house as a home, a platform to build memories.
Let's look at our homes differently. A house is only the structure. The home is the emotions and experiences, the love and belonging families can experience anywhere there is caring.
During March nights, Mars remains an impressively bright planet as the Earth is still close to it. The planet rises in the east before sunset, and sets in the west before dawn. Mars resides among the stars of Cancer, west of Leo the Lion, and the bright star Regulus and east of Pollux and Castor of Gemini. Look for a very bright orange-red "star." The waxing gibbous moon will be very near Mars the night of March 24 and 25.
This month, the planet Saturn rises in the east around sunset. Locate Saturn near the blue second magnitude star Denebola of Leo much further to the east of Mars. Look for a fairly bright yellow "star." The nearly Full moon will be near Saturn the nights of March 28 and 29.
On the night of the 26th, the waxing gibbous moon is just southwest of the bright star Regulus of Leo. By March 30 the moon, then a waning gibbous, is found just south of Spica, brightest star of Virgo.
At month's end look very low in the west (only 10 degrees above the horizon) about 30 minutes after sunset. A careful sky watcher might be able to locate brilliant Venus and much dimmer Mercury visible in the twilight sky. Binocular will aid in the search. The two planets are paired right next to each other.
On the morning of April 3, about an hour before sunrise, locate the waning crescent moon just west of the red supergiant star Antares of Scorpius the Scorpion.
Looking in the northeast, locate the "Big Dipper" formed by the stars of Ursa Major. High in the north, locate the "W" formed by the stars of Cassiopeia. Just west of overhead, locate the bright yellow star Capella of Auriga, the charioteer. The winter constellation of Taurus can be seen high in the east, marked by the orange star Aldebaran. Look for the Pleiades star cluster, seen as a tiny "dipper" of stars, higher in the east.
Sky watchers can locate Orion by looking for three stars in a row, the famous "belt" of Orion. Use the "belt" stars pointing downward toward the southeast, to locate the bright blue-white star Sirius, the brightest star in the Heavens. A giant ellipse can be formed by connecting the star Aldebaran, to Capella, and then moving east to Pollux and Castor of Gemini, then south to Procyon a bright star east of Orion, down to Sirius of Canis Major, then west to the blue star Rigel of Orion, and then back to Aldebaran. This super constellation or asterism is called the "Winter Ellipse."