I used to think that a home is wherever you live. The city. The actual building. That was home. As I’ve been spending more time thinking about these things, I’ve started to see that the saying “A house is not a home” is actually quite true.

I have lived in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, a gorgeous resort town in Northern Idaho, since I was about 4 and it’s the best place I could’ve grown up in. Whenever anyone asked me where home is, I’d always say Coeur d’Alene. Growing up, I thought Coeur d'Alene would always be home because it's where I grew up, where I went to school, and where my family is.

From what I used to think home was, I never really felt like I fit in anywhere away from it and that my home in Coeur d'Alene was my safe haven. It's where I could always find everything I needed. I didn't have to be afraid of not feeling at home because it was the one thing I knew so well, but I was wrong.

There’s nothing wrong with thinking that the city that you live in is home. That’s what most people would answer if they were asked “Where is home for you?” So I ask myself that same question and lately, it’s been a consistent answer but very different from what I used to think.

To me, home is where there is love and compassion. It’s where you feel like you belong and have found your own little space in the world. It’s filled with loved ones and the best memories, the ones already made and the ones to come. Some people may have many pieces of home, while others could have just a few.

My house is Coeur d’Alene is just that: a house. While my mom, grandma, and dog are still back in Coeur d’Alene, that’s only a small piece of my home. Another piece of my home is here in Lewiston with my friends and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

I’m young and I’ll experience so much more in life. I’ll fall in love and start a life as I get older. It could be here in Lewiston or in Coeur d’Alene or another other possible place I could go. Slowly, as I find my little niche in the world, that’ll soon begin to be home for me.

That home could be temporary or permanent, both in a physical location or with the situation itself. It could be in various places and it will include a plethora of people and memories.

Although I’m living in these towns, it could just be temporary. It may be a small piece of home now, but it could change and disappear as I get older and experience more.

But for now, I should love these small pieces of home that I have already created in Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston and just wait and see where I’m lead to my next piece of home, fitting perfectly into the puzzle.