Home Is Where Your Stuff Is
Our friends have often teased us about having to write our address in pencil in their books. (Of course, that's not much of an issue in today's electronic world!) It's true that we have moved many times since we started our life together. We've bought and sold 7 properties and lived in 5 rentals. That's a lot of address changes!
One take away from all of that moving is that one really can't go home again. We've certainly had many happy times re-visiting places we have lived, but it's never quite the same. The place changes, we change, the people remaining change.
Today we left Douglas, Georgia ... for the second time. We had the opportunity the past 9 months to go back and live where we spent the larger part of our adult lives - where our daughter experienced her childhood, where we developed our careers in education, and where Chris' mom and aunt departed. It was a longer time period than one normally experiences when 'going home,' and the experience ended up being different than we anticipated.
As expected, we encountered many people from our previous life there. Some who we thought we would see a lot, we didn't, and that brought some disappointment, which brought reflection, understanding and growth. Some encounters were brief, but meaningful, like running into a former student and learning the great work she has been doing for the past 15 years. In other cases, there were old friends we shared good times with, making new memories to carry forward, and friends with whom our relationship deepened. And, some new friends were made.
Tonight, home is a hotel in Atlanta, where all our stuff is condensed into a few bags.
More importantly, our memories and experiences travel along with us. We hope that we will enjoy the physical presence of all friends again, but if not, know that you have been and are appreciated.
One take away from all of that moving is that one really can't go home again. We've certainly had many happy times re-visiting places we have lived, but it's never quite the same. The place changes, we change, the people remaining change.
Today we left Douglas, Georgia ... for the second time. We had the opportunity the past 9 months to go back and live where we spent the larger part of our adult lives - where our daughter experienced her childhood, where we developed our careers in education, and where Chris' mom and aunt departed. It was a longer time period than one normally experiences when 'going home,' and the experience ended up being different than we anticipated.
As expected, we encountered many people from our previous life there. Some who we thought we would see a lot, we didn't, and that brought some disappointment, which brought reflection, understanding and growth. Some encounters were brief, but meaningful, like running into a former student and learning the great work she has been doing for the past 15 years. In other cases, there were old friends we shared good times with, making new memories to carry forward, and friends with whom our relationship deepened. And, some new friends were made.
Tonight, home is a hotel in Atlanta, where all our stuff is condensed into a few bags.
More importantly, our memories and experiences travel along with us. We hope that we will enjoy the physical presence of all friends again, but if not, know that you have been and are appreciated.
Yes, home is the warm place in your heart.
ReplyDelete