Always Home

 He walked in and the smile on his face reflected the warmth of the home.  "Now it feels like home... this is what I have been missing."  My heart ached as I thought, me too, Son.

It is Christmas time.  Zach, our oldest, is often gone over Thanksgiving break.  We decorate together when he returns and, this year, I had the tree up, lit and ready for ornaments.  The fire crackled and the living room was warm in more ways then one.

We have lived here for almost a year now.  But it has never felt like home.  After all, it isn't our home.  But ever evolving, ever learning... God showed me something new during Thanksgiving this year; home isn't walls, it isn't even people... home is where our hearts reside when the Kingdom is near.

Was it this realization that made the house warm or just the lights on the tree and peices of our old home scattered about?  Honestly, I think it was both.

Zach leaves this summer.  Where, we don't know yet.  But it won't be close.  He will begin to learn about home  and its true meaning on a campus far away.  Will he have time to miss us?  I think so, especially as the holidays roll near.  We may not still be here, God could call us just about anywhere in this country.  But I pray that, whether my young son walks through our door or someone else's... he can remember that with the Kingdom near, he is always home.

May you be home no matter where you are this holiday season.

Blessings dear friends,