It was nearly three years ago when My Love flew out to California to bring her cousin, Catherine, to live in South Texas. At 94 years of age, her son had died and she was desiring to be closer to family members. Her remaining son lived in Texas.As we settled her into the apartment we had arranged for her in a residential care facility, she said: "Thank you. It is very nice, but it will never be home." I felt sad for her as I did not understand what she was saying.
Last year, we lost our home in the hurricane and have moved back to our family roots in Iowa. After living in the small apartment that we have rented for the past 10 months, I now have a better grasp of what Catherine was saying. While our place is very comfortable and quite adequate for our needs, it will never be home. In fact, My Love and I have come to the conclusion, and peacefully so, that we will never have another home. Never again will we live in a place in which we invest so much time, energy and emotion.
When we purchased our home 12 1/2 years ago, neither of us had ever had our own home. We had always lived our lives to that point in someone else's dwelling. Having our own place in which we could invest our hearts, our funds, our time and our energies was a key priority for us. We did that. We made our South Texas ranchito into the small corner of paradise that fulfilled that desire for both of us. And we enjoyed it for 12 years.
Now that it is history for us, we appreciate it for the gift that it was. We also recognize it as past as we have come to see the truth expressed in our faith, that we are only pilgrims on this earth. Our true home is not here, so why should we be like the apostles on the Mountain of Transfiguration and want to build "three tents" and stay here forever! (Mt 17:4)
As My Love is wont to say: "Home is a Love you can count on." That is wherever we are, for it is the love of one another which reflects the Love of God drawing us to our true home.
Catherine's story reminds me of our experience of letting go of a dream HOUSE. When we were married about 10 years we finally moved into that dream house.An old 2 story house which we turned into a 3 story house, refinished oak wood throughout the house, white stone paneling in the old basement and etc.....NEVER was I going to leave that house...well the economy did a huge downturn and we had to move to another outstate town and had to sell the house. I mourned for at least 1 year. That was a very painful lesson that taught me deeply that a house is external....what's more important is that we carry our HOME with us in our hearts no matter where we are physically. Our final HOME will be eternal life.....there just is no doubt about that. No house or location has mattered to me since that lesson so many years ago. Its FREEDOM at its finest.
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