What Makes Our House A Home?

Our art collection started on our wedding day. How many people can say that? I wonder? As we stood on the receiving line, that first piece of art was handed to us by the husband of a first cousin. The extraordinarily talented and renowned water-colorist Jeffrey Jakub and his wife gifted us the original work of art—the Torah breastplate shown above; a piece of his own creation. No gift could hold more value. It hangs on our dining room wall. Each time I look at it my smile is as wide as when we received the matted piece on June 15, 1975.

Fast forward to our 25th wedding anniversary. On that noteworthy occasion, I wrote a poem to my husband. Along with those rhyming lines I had penned, I carted several boxes of memorabilia to the local frame shop to be scattered around to form a collage. Soon after we hung the piece, a friend walked in and upon seeing it he commented that anyone coming into our house will immediately know who we are.

A look around the rooms and they’ll also know who our multi-talented friends and relatives are, as they hear the story of each item we’ve collected and displayed. One example, which I can see from where I sit here at the computer, hangs high up in our foyer. The abstract painting of a religious Jew, showing him making the blessing of the High Priest—the Cohen blessing—was created and gifted to us by my father-in-law’s youngest brother. Uncle Gary and many other amazingly talented relatives and friends help to make our house a home.

25th wedding anniversary collage with poem written by Sharon to Arnee in center