Home Really Is Where the Heart Is

For quite some time, years really, I've struggled with the definition of home. It's confusing for me, because I've resided in many different houses in various locations over the years. Michigan and Colorado are both places I've called home, and I currently live in Florida with my husband. Recently I've been referring to my northern Michigan hometown as home. The definition of home is not always an easy one, but it is an important one. Home seems to be many places for me, and over the years I'm sure it won't get any easier to define. That's the beauty of the word.

We often possess a strong desire to be rooted in one place, but, unlike a plant, I think having too many roots sometimes stifles our growth. Sometimes getting away from what you've always known teaches you priceless lessons. Passing years teach us that home is not always the roof under which you spent your childhood, and it's not necessarily simply the place you lived the longest. Home is so much more a state of mind than anything. Roots might keep you grounded, but don't let them hold you down.

I'm beginning to believe that home really is where the 'heart' is, and our hearts don't reside solely inside our chests. Our hearts exist with every single person we come in contact with. Each passing year grows our heart's capacity to add more and more people to the list of those we love. The more people we meet, the greater the bigger our hearts may grow. Thus growing our home. Our heart may grow big enough that home is everywhere, or at least with anyone who we've touched. That means home is not just in one location. Home really is where the heart is. Where do you keep your heart? Hopefully you leave little pieces of it with every person you meet in every place you go. Home is where the heart is.

my Michigan home

my Colorado home

my Florida home