A long way home

Whether we realize it or not, we are constantly in search of the road that leads us home. Every day in some varied and subtle way we look for home.

During the day to day Monday through Friday work grind, we daydream of the highway that leads to the comfy couch in our home. On Sunday afternoon, we wish for the Friday night of yesterday, which holds the promise of two days at home. Even on vacation, we secretly wait for the first evening home to lay our head on the familiar pillow we missed.

It’s stepped out in love that’s found in the mother who waits for her student to step off the school bus and return to the securities of their home. In the late night pace of a father who waits for the sound of the garage door and his teenage driver to arrive home without a scratch. In the parents who anxiously wait for the summer return home of their college influenced young adult. Each in their own individual confines, family members look for a collective path home, even if it’s only shared in memories and stories.

As a young girl I would stare out the window from my upstairs bedroom and dream of a different home that was waiting for me beyond the dusty farm road. Now older, I wonder why I was so eager to leave the gravel lane of my home. Reflecting back, I’m able to return there. In my soul, I still live there. In retrospect, it was all part of the journey.

It’s not a cliché or just a line from an old movie. There really is no place like home.

I have lived in many homes over the years. All of them were beautiful, comfortable and served a purpose. But as the years fast forward and my home dynamics change, I realize I’m most at home with people I spend time with, not the house I reside in.

Home travels with us on uniquely planned paths we stroll through in our world. On roads that are more the same than different when they are viewed with eyes of gratitude. We are not our exterior. We reside in the sacred of our interior that will always lead us home.

What place do you call home? This Friday, after a long way home from your travels and before Monday’s in view, take stock of your own little corner of residence. Be The Change because of it!

I love Easter

Actually, I love every holiday because at the center is family. I have many brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews, which translates into lots of family time. Just the way I like it!

In varied examples, different for each person, a term like family often extends out into friends who are like family, a spiritual family prayerful and faithfully connected or even a healthcare community formed by similar diagnosis can feel like family because of their shared experiences.

My family is rooted in tradition especially religious ones. That means many evenings during Holy Week are spent at church. Back in the day, retail business in our small town closed at 3:00pm on Good Friday, which gave everyone equal opportunity to attend their church services.

Although the years have faded many Easter holiday memories, there's a few vivid ones I hold dear: The sight of my Mom peeling potatoes at the kitchen table in preparation for our big family dinner. The colorful Easter basket filled with candy that me and my siblings shared. The Easter egg hunts at my husband’s family farm when our kids were young. These visions dance with others and are inspired by love; the very essence of Easter day.

Every family does a dance and the lessons are our experiences that turn into our memories. As a family we learn a melody of a song only each other knows and dance steps that go along with it. There are times when we’re all in tune and move along methodically. Other times, one or random few learn a new song and they become teachers of a new dance step the whole family can learn. A new rhythm can be complicated, confusing, and out of step. But love unites the family members and shows the way until everyone knows the tune again.

Our fondest memories are created in the experiences we share as a family. They are held together by invisible love strings that bind us with a purpose that requires more than a surface glance. I attended a workshop recently where it was said that when a healthcare provider sees a patient they should see the family too. That resonated in me, not just because of my medical experiences but because of the current Easter season with my family.

People see us as individuals, but they view parts of our family in us too. We represent each other not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually by our choices, decisions and actions. Each one of us, in the unique way we were created, are influenced and inspired by family. Not just our biological family but also by the additional family categories I mentioned earlier.

Whether it's a polka, gentle waltz, or even an occasional cha-cha slide, get familiar with the dance steps only your family knows. Treasure them and value each ones purpose. You never know when one of your dance partners, for one reason or another, has to sit out temporarily or maybe permanently.

The dance continues to move by lessons that teach the steps. Each one renews the other and creates experiences that might Be The Change!