“Go
wherever you can,” was their message.
My
parents were not the kind to make us stay.
They were adventurous travelers, and encouraged my brothers and me to
spread our wings and see as much of the world as we could. Homesickness was discouraged in favor of new
experiences and new places. Home isn’t
going anywhere: this was the unofficial motto of our family. In high school I joined clubs and did
activities that would take me away from home.
Ours
was a small town like so many others, sheltered and far from the larger,
busier world. I cynically thought that
no one would leave if they didn’t run as fast they could in the opposite
direction, despite home being a pretty nice place. I was free to leave if I wanted to, and I
did, right after the summer I graduated.
Eventually, life led me away from home for good.
We
– my husband and I – are not pioneers. We
didn’t do anything out of the ordinary by moving away from home. We lived in cities where our jobs took us,
finally settling into and building a life within a smallish community not
unlike the ones in which we grew up, but still hours away from our
families. About half of the people we
know are from somewhere else, often even further away. People just don’t stay home anymore.
“Home
is where you hang your hat,” goes the saying.
It’s true. Most of my immediate
life is contained within the walls of our house. The things I need, the people I depend on and
who depend on me – they are here. The
friends we’ve made, the roads we take to school and to church and to work – they
surround home now.
But
home is still there, too. Away.
It
takes a gathering – most recently, my grandmother’s funeral – for me to really
focus on what we’ve built so far away and to become homesick. Familiar faces made strange by time and fading
memories are brought to the forefront and remind me what we are missing. Time passes quickly everywhere.
People
change and life goes on, and we miss it when we are gone. There’s no way to really catch up, to make up
the time that we missed. It’s like we
moved away, and everyone was lost.
I
worry. I worry that we are far away,
and might even move further away someday.
I worry that I will miss more, that I won’t be able to help as I could,
as I feel I should. I worry about the
time I am missing with my parents and siblings, and the other relationships
that have been left to weaken and fade.
God
teaches us to pray when we struggle and to trust that we are where he placed us
for reasons that go beyond our understanding.
These truths hold me up, and I am thankful for them. I don’t really need to know why I’m here, and
when the feelings of homesickness threaten to take residence in my heart, I am
given the reassurance that I am exactly where I’m supposed to be.
And
that even when I feel far away, he is ever so close.
*******
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5-6
I love this! Praying about everything is something that I've started doing in the past year and it has changed my life. Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the encouragement, Suzanne. :)
DeleteThat is one of my favorite verses - got me through the last two years, no doubt. Sending you hugs and prayers for peace in your heart.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lisa. It is really comforting to me to know that all I have to do is leave it all up to God, and he will take care of everything.
DeleteProverbs 3:5-6 is a verse that I use when feeling abandoned, discouraged, or confused about something going on in my life. It settles me down. May His Word help you to find peace.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary. I hope it does, too. xo
DeleteI have been feeling very homesick recently myself and praying about everything certainly helps. Thanks for the post.
ReplyDeleteIt really does help. Love to you. xo
DeleteI am sorry you are feeling homesick, A. I know the feeling well. Right after I married my wife, we moved hundreds of miles away from her family and mine so that I could attend graduate school. Like you, I lamented missing out on those daily relationships and worried that they would erode to the point of loss. But they did not. We moved home after four years and picked right back up where we left off. Sure, people and situations had changed in small ways, but in hindsight I believe the time was good for us, as we were able to establish our own relationship and grow as a couple without distraction or interference. One day you will move back closer to your loved ones and see that little has been lost; solid bonds transcend time and absence. And I think you will look back and appreciate the absence for reasons that might not be apparent now. In the meantime, FaceTime/Skype are wonderful things. I'll keep you in my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cary. Your words mean a lot to me. Time away is important for me to appreciate what I have, and I have found that there is a real comfort in knowing that there are people somewhere who are holding your place, even just in their hearts.
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