Monday, March 12, 2012

Home

In just a few hours I get to board a plane and visit my childhood home filled with all of my family.  This is a glorious day.  

  • I can't wait for them to see the baby bump for themselves.
  • I can't wait to go on walks with mom and dad.  
  • I can't wait to see the cousins tonight as we have a "hair doing FHE" so that cousin Tiffany (who is visiting from California) can makes us all beautiful again (especially THIS girl who is currently sporting 2 inch roots).  
  • I can't wait to watch the YA's do a run-through of the show tomorrow.  
  • I can't wait to go on a library trip with my aunt who is in her 1st of 4 weeks of recovery from a big surgery (she REALLY needs help choosing some good reads.  Any of YOU have any new suggestions for me?)  
  • I can't wait to catch up with lots of great friends that I haven't seen is ages.
  • I can't wait to spend my nights sewing a quilt for a bridal shower this Thursday.
  • I can't wait to celebrate my brothers birthday IN PERSON and not over skype.
  • I can't wait to see as many nieces and nephews as I can.
  • And, lets be serious, I can't wait to go to Barry's for a Deluxe cheeseburger, spicy fries, and a cherry sprite.
HOWEVER
All this talk about home gets me a little confused.  Because as I sat in the home of some of our dearest Albuquerque friends last night I realized that we are home here too.  We were lucky enough to eat the AMAZING cooking of Marta and Sandra again and be surrounded by the sister missionaries, one of my favorite Young Women, lots of children, and a new family that is investigating the church.  Once things had finally settled down, I sat on the couch looking around at all of these people and feeling so grateful for the HOME they have helped us to establish.  It's a wonderful feeling to not feel like a stranger is a foreign land anymore and it is especially wonderful to have PEOPLE to share the joys of life with.

I took a mental picture of that moment: nerf guns shooting, scary story telling, watermelon lemonade sipping, Spanish speaking, husband hand holding, and most importantly the people.

In that moment, I knew I was home and that made me so grateful.

I suppose that there-in lies is the beauty of moving around the world.  What a beautiful thing it is for us to truly feel AT HOME in many homes in Spanish Fork, Provo, Springville, Madrid, Jackson, Arizona, New York, and now New Mexico.

I believe that Maya Angelou said it best when she said 
"The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned."

THAT is HOME.  It is not four specific walls, a particular bed, or a refrigerator stocked with only our favorite foods.  Home is "where we can go as we are and not be questioned."

So, wherever you are today, I hope it's HOME.

2 comments:

  1. It's nice having 2 (or more) homes, isn't it? After our hugely anticipated visit To our US home (after 9 months away) I realized just how home Brazil is too. We were kinda stuck waiting for our permanent visas about a month longer than we anticipated, and though we loved being with family, there really is no place like your own bed, alone with your husband and daughter (or bun-in-the-oven!). So glad you are loving NM. also, I'm a bit jealous about the Barry's visit! That was the big hummer about being home my whole first trimester- I didn't want to eat all the stuff is been missing for 9 months. Have a good trip home!

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  2. It is good to here you call Albuquerque home, but I am really glad you are in Utah this week! I am really glad I got see that baby bump tonight, and I look forward to the fun we will have tomorrow. I love ya!

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