Home is Where the Heart Is

I have made the executive decision that I am not doing that again for a long time. The "that" that I am referring to is moving. Moving furniture, moving boxes, moving clothes, moving from one home into another. My first big move took place when I left for college my freshman year. I remember packing up everything I needed or thought might possibly come in handy in my dorm room. I quickly learned a lesson about under packing instead of over packing when I tried to fit everything into a room the size of a cracker box that I shared with my roommate. Each year of college brought a move back home and a return journey the following fall into a new room in my sorority house. My senior year, I got an extra does of moving when I lived the fall semester in an apartment for my urban student teaching experience and then back to campus for my last term. Those college moves became a routine after four years, and then I experienced a new change. I moved from my small town to an apartment in the city. My roommate and I enjoyed getting acquainted with the responsibilities of living on our own without anyone looking over our shoulders to fix every little problem. We added our own little touches throughout that really made our apartment feel like home. But alas, summer has come and we are placing our furniture and belongings in yet another place. I'm happy to say, though, that my roommate's house which we are moving into is quite an upgrade from our dimly lit apartment. Every time I walk out onto the screened in porch or the pool deck, I have a strange feeling as if I was on vacation. Not a bad feeling at all! It's nice to finally live back in an actual house. J and I realized that besides summer vacations, we have not lived in an actual house for five years. I'd say it's about time!

All of this moving has brought into focus thoughts about what feels like home. Of course my dad's house where I grew up and my mom's house will both always feel like home to me, but not in such a present sort of way. I think moving puts me into a strange sort of limbo leaving me struggling to grasp onto a feeling that I am settled in a familiar place. I know it will take time for new routines to find their way into my days. I'm alright with that. No matter what other changes take place around me, I know that God, my family, and my friends are always a constant in my life. It's not about the structure in which you live or where you lay your head at night. It's about the time you spend anywhere with those you love that brings that sense of belonging and rightness. I guess such a cliche saying has become that way for a reason; home is where the heart is.