Daily Guideposts - 20 Day SampleSample

Going Home

Just two more days till I go home for the holidays,” my friend said, bubbling over with excitement. She described her family’s home, nestled between mountains, her great grandmother’s rocking chair on the sturdy front porch her father built.
Tons of family were anxious for her arrival, and I could just picture the bustle and love she’d soon experience.

Where’s home for me? I wondered as I said good-bye to my friend and took the train back uptown.

Where could I go to rest and be taken care of? Home was no longer in Brooklyn where I grew up. None of my family lived there anymore. It wasn’t the new condo in Florida, where my parents moved to after their retirement.

I’d started my own home in Manhattan with my husband and children, but his emotional distance made me feel like a stranger in that home and eventually he left.

What house could I return to that bore the roots of tradition and family history? The closest thing I could think of was my cousin’s big house in the country where we’d gather for most holidays. But now separated from his wife, he lives alone in a small rented apartment and has his kids every other weekend. When could my scattered family be together?I opened the door to my apartment, and my two boys dropped their toys and ran toward me. “Mommy’s home!” Brandon screamed. The three of us collapsed on the couch and snuggled. “I guess I am home,” I said with a smile.

Help me remember, Lord, that You have placed me where I belong for a purpose. Home will always be in Your loving care.

—Karen Valentin