4 stories that will warm your heart

Home is where the heart is

“When my father passed away, I worried about my mother living alone in their old house. I often asked if she’d want to look at a beautiful new condo, but she’d shoo me off saying, ‘Beauty is seen with the heart, not the eyes.’

“One day, as I stared at the faded pea-green kitchen walls, I was about to suggest a condo again when Mom told me, ‘Your dad painted this as a surprise when we moved in. I admit, it wasn’t the color I’d have chosen, but I loved it because he did it out of love.’

“From there, she led me to the hall closet, where a line of pencil marks charted my growth. She showed me more dents and stains throughout the house that all held a warm memory.

“After that visit, I never brought up moving again. In fact, I began to see things with my heart and not my eyes, and discovered beauty in the most surprising places.” —Gayle Lemon, 48,

Somersworth, NH