There's No Place Like Home

 Ahhh, vacation! Doesn't everyone love the idea of a vacation? I have been fortunate enough to have had a couple of weeks of wonderful family time. My husband and I were able to spend eight days with our daughter and her family at our time-share in Orlando. Then she, my granddaughter and I took our annual girls' trip for three days to Charleston. With a turnaround time of one day, we headed back down to Orlando where my brother-in-law and his family had rented out a large Airbnb and brought his entire family to spent a couple of weeks. We spent another week down there hanging out with them and some of our grandkids. Fun and memories galore.

We are looking at heading out again soon for a work/family trip to the west coast. Very soon, actually. I have enough time to do laundry, rest for a few days, then off we go. Sigh. I love to travel, but I must admit, this is the most I've done back-to-back-to-back probably ever. Maybe it's because I'm older, but it isn't as exciting as it once was.

I find myself thinking about staying home more and more. My home isn't anything overly special. But it's ours. In fact, we are planning to build soon and in our opinion THAT will be special. But there's something about coming home to my space, my kitchen, my bed that just brings a sense of comfort and contentment. 

I remember when I was younger and older relatives would visit, parents or grandparents and they would stay for shorter periods than we would wish. They would 'need to get home.' We would all wonder why, when there was really nothing for them to rush home to. I get it now. Then my dad and his wife bought a motor home to travel around the country in. He said he loved it because no matter where he went, he 'was always home.' I get that too. 

Dorothy, in the Wizard of Oz, was trying throughout the entire story to get home. Every step she took, every task she undertook, was toward getting her home. As believers we are on the same journey. There is something deep within us that longs to be 'home'. We will discover that the closer we get, the more we yearn to be home. That place that brings us that feeling of belonging, contentment, and peace. 

Before Jesus left his disciples for the final time, he made them a promise. He told them that He was going to prepare a place for us, and if He was going, He would come again and bring us back with Him. 

So while we may enjoy this little 'vacation' time here and now, we have "Home" to look forward to. And like Dorothy said so well, "There's no place like home."