A Happy Home

What makes a happy home for our families? We may think of a comfortable house or the things we have within it, but a truly happy home is built on much more. It is created through the love, respect, honesty, kindness, and gratitude that family members share with one another.

In his poem A Happy Home, J. J. Thorne gives us simple words to consider about the values we bring into our homes. He reminds us that the example we set for our children, the way we treat others, and the love and faith we share can all help create a home where happiness can grow.

Love is with a tender heart, As the spring showers of May. J. J. Thorne

Updated September 30, 2026, by Catherine Pulsifer.

A Happy Home

Poet: J. J. Thorne
Caution is the parent of safety,
It keeps us from going astray
It will make a happy home,
In some future day.

If duty and respect to all,
We live, serve and obey.
It will make a happy home,
In some future day.

Honesty is a commandment,
That never will decay;
It will make a happy home,
In some future day.

Treat each and every person right,
Respect the old and gray;
It will make a happy home,
In some future day.

Sympathy, charity and gratitude
Makes life bright and gay,
It will make a happy home,
In some future day.

True examples and honest deeds,
We should to our children lay,
It will make a happy home,
In some future day.

Love is with a tender heart,
As the spring showers of May;
It will make a happy home,
In some future day.

If we live an upright life,
We have only the pain of death to pay;
It will make a happy home.
In some future day.

Humble duty and the love of Christ,
Is our only way;
It will make a happy home,
In some future day.

Key Reflections In This Poem

  • A Happy Home Is Built On How We Treat Each Other

    Thorne reminds us that respect, honesty, sympathy, and gratitude all have a place within a happy home. The way family members treat one another can help create an atmosphere of love and belonging.

  • Children Learn From The Examples They See

    The poem encourages us to set a good example through our words and actions. What children see lived out within their home can influence the values they carry with them as they grow.

  • Love And Faith Give A Home A Strong Foundation

    The final verses point us toward love, humble duty, and faith in Christ. A house may give us shelter, but these deeper values can help make it a place we are truly happy to call home.


Conclusion

A happy home is not about having everything perfect. It is about creating a place where family members feel loved, respected, supported, and safe. J. J. Thorne reminds us that qualities such as honesty, gratitude, kindness, and setting a good example can make a difference in the atmosphere of our homes.

Perhaps the best thing we can give our families is not something we can buy. It is our time, our love, our encouragement, and the values we live by each day. When these things are present, even the simplest house can become a truly happy home.