This is home

There is something to say for home. I don't think you can truly appreciate it until you are away from that place that feels like home. Being at school has taught me to really appreciate the place where I spent all of my life. When I reach 52 North and see the Rural Hall exit, I can't help but smile. Not because it is a particularly spectacular place, because it is not. Not because there is never a dull moment, because those sneak up on you from time to time.I smile because I am home. When I pull into my driveway and am met not just with a hello, but with the screams and laughter of two little sisters, I know. When I calm them down and walk to hug my mom, I know. When I look up and see my dad standing there, waiting patiently for the last hug, I know. I know I am home. I know I am in a place where I can let my guard down. A place where I can be myself. A place where love surrounds me and judgement fades. It is here that I can express the greatest fears of my heart, and those fears will be comforted. It is here that I share the lofty dreams that tumble through my head, and those dreams, no matter how seemingly unattainable, are supported and encouraged. It is here that I am challenged and humbled. It is here that I am inspired and motivated. It is here that I am home.

I have often wondered when that place of home will change for me. When it will no longer be Rural Hall, but when it will be Raleigh, Africa, Central America, Chicago, or wherever God leads me in the future. The truth is, I don't think that place of home will ever change. Sure, the building may change. The city may change. The country may change. That place of home, however, that will never change. It will always be that place where I am surrounded by my family. This, this is home.