If Home is where the heart is
Then may your Home be blessed
A shelter from the storms of Life
A place of rest,
And when each day is over
And toil put in its place
Your Home's dear warmth
Will bring its smile
To light the saddest face!

John McLeod

Just the word, “home” evokes a warm feeling in most of us.  But we certainly don’t all think of the same image.  For those of us who grew up in a home with loving parents and siblings, that scene may spring to mind.  For others, it is the safe, loving place they developed with their own children and spouse.  Perhaps a cozy little cabin or apartment that you share only with your cat is what warms your heart or even a cardboard box under a bridge with a special blanket. 

I have been in small African village huts, Scottsdale mansions, tents in remote Costa Rican jungles, cottages near a lake, teepees in the Arizona mountains, condos on the Florida beach, and many other settings that people called home. 

For the past 16 months or so I have been traveling.  I have lived in 3 different countries and 4 different states in the US with my longest stay in any one place being 3 months.  When asked where I live, I sometimes reply, “I’m homeless”.   That is very accurate in the sense that I have no place to decorate, set up furniture, and fill with “stuff”.  I have, however, felt right at home during this entire time.  Whether staying with friends or relatives, who have been most generous, or literally being on the road staying in motels (don’t ask about the 3 days in Odessa, Texas!), I have been at home.

In theory, I have believed for years that I bring “home” with me wherever I go.  Living in NJ for 30 years and Arizona for 30 years, however, did not provide me with much opportunity to prove that out.  This journey I am now on, along with the one I took in my 20’s and describe in my book, Journaling the Journey, gave me that opportunity.  Like a crab (well…I AM a Cancer), I found that I was literally taking my home with me.  Not the brick and mortar perhaps, but the very essence of what allows one to feel at home – peace, safety, warmth, and love. 

Home is where the heart is.  Many people may interpret that as meaning that their heart, their emotional tie, is always back to the place they consider home, the place where they felt peace, safety, warmth, and love, no matter where they happen to be physically. 

I see it a bit differently.  My view is that I bring all of these elements of home with me in my heart – not only for me, but also to provide for those with whom I come into contact.  When my heart is full of love, then I am in position to offer the peace, safety, warmth, and love of home to everyone in my world, whether long-time friend, relative, or new acquaintance.   I can BE that “shelter from the storms of life”, that “place of rest”. 

What does “home” mean to you?  Please express your ideas here on this blog.  May you always feel at home wherever you are.