When is home truly home?

I have felt challenged to walk 'down to the lake' each day for a year.  I am just over two months in, and I do truly try to do it every day.  If I am out of town, obviously I can't do it, and there have been a few days I have been gone all day and night and haven't done it - but probably only twice.  I am learning much on these walks.  One of those things is I absolutely love where we live.  LO.  It is truly an incredibly beautiful place.  You can drive by on M-24, see a glimpse of the lake, pass the village downtown sign at 40 mph or so and not think much of it.  But this place is amazing.  The walks have given me a love of seeing the 'neighborhood' over a period of time.  Walk by the same houses, and see something interesting or the decorations for the season change - like the Christmas lights coming out.  And we have been blessed with a boat for a bit of this summer, and now, walking past different parts of this lake that automatically brings you calm - whether you are out on it, or walking next to it with fond warm memories of time with friends or family watching a sunset or taking an evening stroll along the coastline.  What is it that sitting on the water does to your spirit?  Calms it - not like a park or a forest - and they do as well.  But water - looking out on it - pondering life or portions thereof.  The last couple weeks I have been praying for some specific things in this village.  This place my spirit was drawn to before we ever left BKLY- a place I felt I knew we were supposed to live in.  A place where I feel that God specifically led me to a house that now has housed our family and friends so often as we do our best to live '360'.  But truth be told, the first couple of years I think I was experiencing a couple of things.  One-culture shock.  I loved NYC and living in the city - walking, people, new things, experiences, love, grace, passion for others' success, deep friendships with men I had prayed to have in my life.  Take that all away, put me in an unhealthy work environment that sucked my soul and drive and life out of me, limited time with family and friends, and unplug me from the deep community I was entrenched in.  Two - my strongest career struggle.  Thing is I have always loved my job -sure it was hard work, challenging, but I was always driven and passionate to keep doing it and loving it even on the tough days.  There are flashes of my old self in career, but clearly have met a point that changed my heart in a negative direction.  And as God always does, He continues to give me all I need each day, and my walk has become part of that each day.  And each day as I walk, I appreciate more where we live, what an incredible beautiful place we are blessed to live in, thankful that I live in a place where I can continue to walk in this place - this home that I have.  Home is here in LO, and it includes this house, this village, this lake, and each person that God places before me on each day I am afforded the breath of life to experience in this moment.  How glorious it is when you come to the realization that home is actually home.  Your spirit knows and accepts it, and doesn't want to be gone for long-wants to make sure to care for people in and around this home.  I feel it.  Home is now home.

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