It's not about me

Ponderings of Home

         One of the beautiful things about traveling is coming home. All those little things we do around our our home are the little nuances that provide us with comfort, happiness and a sense of belonging. My home is torn up right now as we get ready to put in a new kitchen, and after two weeks away, I was still so happy to come back to this unfloored, bare stud walls, place. It's familiar. It has the smells that I'm used to; the lavender used on the linens, the dish soap and fresh forrest air drifting through the windows. It has my bed. As I get older that's the thing I appreciate most when I come home...a good bed.

         Our vacation was a family reunion with our children and grandchildren all gathered in one place. It was fun seeing them all because we don't get to see them that often any more. Everyone is so spread out. Each child has their own family, their own place of comforts now, and even though coming together brings back a lot of wonderful memories and enjoyment, they also are happy when they go back to their own home they have created. They feel the same about their home as I do ours.

         Our home doesn't have children any more. It's just myself and my husband. It's quiet, something we never had when raising our children. I'm amazed how quickly one gets used to the quiet surroundings and it becomes a sanctuary. I think about things I never had time to before. That time when raising children was noisy, and running from one thing to another just trying to keep it all together. Deep thoughts only happened late at night when everyone was asleep and only when I wasn't falling asleep myself from exhaustion.

         Home is a wonderful place. I grew up moving every three years because my stepfather was in the military. I learned to love travel and still do, but I value more a place to come back to every time. The same place, the familiar place, the place where all my adult memories are. There is so much truth in the statement that "Home is where the heart is." My home is here because it is where my husband is and where our memories are. It holds all the little things we've done to create a place of comfort. It is where my heart is. So as much as I love traveling, I will always love coming home more.