Buckner’s newest independent living community in Austin opened its doors in early December 2010. Even though the building is beautiful and elegant, something was missing.

In a conversation with a woman whose parents had passed away, I inquired as to how she was holding up since her loss. She shared she was doing okay, considering how overwhelming it had been for her.

She said she had recently gone back to clean out her parents’ house to prepare it for sale. She said it looked the same as ever and there were so many memories still present in the structure, but it just wasn’t the same anymore. Something was missing. Now that her parents did not live there, the old house was no longer a home. In her words, “the soul had left the house.”

Keeping those words close to my heart, I had the privilege of being asked to bless one of the new villas on the campus. It had been a long time since I had performed a house blessing and it occurred to me that with all the newness around here it would be wonderful to provide this blessing for the newest residents in our community. After much searching, I found an appropriate blessing and was excited to bless these homes for the souls occupying them.

It was an emotional experience that lifted everyone’s spirits. We talked about how we provided bricks and mortar to build a magnificent structure, but without people coming to live here and give it life, it’s merely a façade.

The soul of any home is the accumulation of all the elements of life being lived there. The highs and lows, the joys and sorrows, the laughter and the tears.

Though our earthly possessions might represent a portion of our lives, it is the people inhabiting the space of a home that truly bring the soul to a building, be it a house, an apartment, a mansion or a villa. The people are the ones that have turned the apartments and villas into homes as they have provided the heart and soul of the new community!

Kenneth Harpster is the chaplain for Buckner Villas in Austin, Texas.