Yesterday was my parents' anniversary and I was talked to them and they described their day wandering around Bozeman, MT I was struck with just how long it has been since I've been to WY and MT, where I grew up. Not only has a lot of time gone by (2+ years now) but a lot of life has happened in those three years.
Last time I was back home I was just a third of the way through my Master's degree, I was single and I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do and where I wanted to live after grad school. Central Virginia was just going to be a temporary home for me.
Since then I have finished my degree, met a guy, dated him, got engaged, got married, and we are expecting our first child. Not only that but I've made the Shenandoah Valley my home. It isn't a temporary place for school, but it is where my family is going to be raised.
Wyoming and Montana are what I call home. It is where I was born and raised, it holds a special place in my heart. I can picture the mountains wtih clarity, and I can close my eyes and take a virtual drive through towns and across mountains.
Yet, Virginia is my adult home. Virginia is the place that my kids will call home. When they are adults it is the place that they will picture, it will hold the memories for them. Wyoming will just be a state that they visit, a place from my stories.
The last thought that struck me was that no matter where I call home, I'm not really home. Earth is just part of our journey. As a Christian my real home isn't anywhere on this globe. It is in Heaven. We are just travelers on this land. Christ is up in Heaven right now and He has prepared an amazing place for us, a place that will only take a moment to behold and we will feel right at home.
As I was starting to get homesick I reminded myself of this truth. I should be more homesick for Heaven, my true home, than for Wyoming. God has given me a gorgeous place, wonderful in-laws, and a comfortable abode to raise my family, so as I journey on toward my real home, I plan to enjoy planting my roots here, while showing my husband and kids why Wyoming and Montana hold a special place in my heart!
Where do you call home, and what makes it special?
-JLP-
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