Day 321-The Little Shelter

Hey guys,

     I knew from the get-go that coming back from Chicago would be hard, it always is. Here's what I didn't realize though, because I HAVE adapted very well here, a part of me is already viewing Lenoir as home! So, I have homesickness, but then I realize that to a certain extent, Lenoir is my home...which got me super confused. So, as I do with just about everything that confuses me, I decided to write about it, and here's what I came up with. Again, this is me, and MY OPINION, I don't want to offend anyone!

      Home. What is it? Where is it? Who is it? For me, home is where I KNOW I belong. Home is filled with laughter and love. Home is where the people and places you love combine into one, big, beautiful mess. Home is where your heart is, but it's also so much more than that. Home is where your happy can be found, where walking down the streets brings memories flooding back. Home can penetrate even the darkest of days, to bring a smile to your face. When life pulls you every which way, home is always there, like an anchor holding a ship steady against every crashing wave. Home is holding hands around the table before every meal. When you have ventured out too far, afraid that you can't make it on your own, home will always be there. Home is NOT a place, or a thing, home is the little shelter you've made for yourself in your heart. Where you have worked so hard to store all your memories good or bad, people you love, all the places you've been, and all the life-changing experiences that make you who you are. Though you may have a specific area that you think of as "home", the truth is that home is with you where ever you go. Home is your childhood stored in your heart, along with everything else, big or small, that work together to make you who you are. Whether people, places, things, memories, music, or emotions, they are all stored up in the little shelter in your heart called home. Home is like the wind, some days it's so strong it whisks you off your feet with a single blow, yet other days, it seems like it's barely even there at all. Some days, you long for it with all of your being, yet on other days, you wish it would just go away. Home is a wonderful thing, though it's different for each and every one of us, we all share a deep love and appreciation for our home. Though your "home" of the world might RESEMBLE the home in your heart, the one is your heart is so much more special and valuable. Why, you ask? Jesus lives in our homes in our hearts as Christians, and he safeguards it against the pain, stress, and anger that life tries to throw at us. Jesus knows our home inside and out, and therefore, he knows us far better than any friend ever could.

<3 Always,
Rose