Home

Real Simple asked readers what Home means. I contemplated this a lot when I moved to Cincinnati. I certainly didn't feel home here at first. But was home back in Lexington, or in Jackson where my parents were from, where our roots dug even deeper?

Here are my definitions of Home:
Home is where you can walk in the door without knocking, and just holler "Hello" or say nothing.
Home is where you can peer into the cabinet or refrigerator and be welcome to eat what you find.
Home is where there is a bed to welcome you for the night if you need it.

By these definitions before my previously nomadic brother really had a home of his own, he could be home at our house. And now I can be home at his house in Santa Barbara, or at Nora's in Baltimore, and my aunt Jackie's in Jackson.

Home is created by the hospitality of those who live there. So when we say Home is where your heart is, we are acknowledging that home is with those you love.

And so someday, I will step into an eternal home, and I can just walk in, find food and rest, and the main reason it will feel like Home is the presence of Jesus.

Can hardly wait. Meanwhile, I hope I can be home for others, the basketball boys who need a drink of water, and my own children when they return from their journeys for a taste of home.