"No matter what happens in the rush of daily life,
may your home welcome you at day's end
with comfort, peace and light."
~Corrine De Winter
"I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself."
~Maya Angelou
As I visit with friends and family members while on vacation this week, I find the subject of HOME is very much on my mind. At a dinner gathering of several dear friends, women I've known since the early 60s—in the days before Paul Simon longed to be 'Homeward Bound'; before Bob Dylan asked 'how does it feel, to be on your own, with no direction home, like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone'; before ET phoned his extraterrestrial home—in this circle of close friends, we shared stories of life changes and transitions. Each one of us has experienced major transitions involving family life and home.
It seems many in our generation are going through similar experiences. We live in a time of great change—the financial world is in upheaval, foreclosure rates are skyrocketing, communities have become more transient as people need to move to where the jobs are, and with the advent of the internet, many people can work from just about anywhere, so there is less need to stay in one place. It's a very different world than the one we grew up in.
Although my lifestyle in recent years has been somewhat transient, home has traditionally been very important to me. For me, home is a sanctuary, a retreat in which to relax and renew and uplift one's spirits, a place to express creativity, and a place for friends and family to gather in community. It's a place to center and ground and nourish body, mind and spirit for ourselves and our families, from which we go forth into the world strengthened and renewed.
I think in these times of change and transition we are needing to redefine, reframe, re-create our vision of what home is. In going through my own shifts and changes regarding home life, I have found peace, realizing that in essence the important thing is to feel at home within oneself, to be as Maya Angelou says "at home wherever I find myself" in the midst of outer changes. Also, in this day of globalization, we are beginning to really get how the world is our home and our attention is being drawn outward beyond our own backyards to seek connection with our world community. Our children know this; so many of them are traveling or living abroad and engaging in the world at large.
We find "family" in community, in churches, temples and synagogues, in our circle of friends, in 12-step groups, in dream groups, in all manner of groups. And ultimately we find the sanctuary of home within ourselves. My heart is full of gratitude today for the homes that have been my sanctuary, and for discovering the sanctuary within. This is sent with loving gratitude to my sister friends with whom I have shared the journey all these years. Wherever you are, may your home welcome you at day's end with comfort, peace and delight.
It seems many in our generation are going through similar experiences. We live in a time of great change—the financial world is in upheaval, foreclosure rates are skyrocketing, communities have become more transient as people need to move to where the jobs are, and with the advent of the internet, many people can work from just about anywhere, so there is less need to stay in one place. It's a very different world than the one we grew up in.
Although my lifestyle in recent years has been somewhat transient, home has traditionally been very important to me. For me, home is a sanctuary, a retreat in which to relax and renew and uplift one's spirits, a place to express creativity, and a place for friends and family to gather in community. It's a place to center and ground and nourish body, mind and spirit for ourselves and our families, from which we go forth into the world strengthened and renewed.
I think in these times of change and transition we are needing to redefine, reframe, re-create our vision of what home is. In going through my own shifts and changes regarding home life, I have found peace, realizing that in essence the important thing is to feel at home within oneself, to be as Maya Angelou says "at home wherever I find myself" in the midst of outer changes. Also, in this day of globalization, we are beginning to really get how the world is our home and our attention is being drawn outward beyond our own backyards to seek connection with our world community. Our children know this; so many of them are traveling or living abroad and engaging in the world at large.
We find "family" in community, in churches, temples and synagogues, in our circle of friends, in 12-step groups, in dream groups, in all manner of groups. And ultimately we find the sanctuary of home within ourselves. My heart is full of gratitude today for the homes that have been my sanctuary, and for discovering the sanctuary within. This is sent with loving gratitude to my sister friends with whom I have shared the journey all these years. Wherever you are, may your home welcome you at day's end with comfort, peace and delight.
No comments:
Post a Comment