There's No Place Like Home

Home is a tricky thing. It's revered as the most important place you can be. Home sweet home. Home is where the heart is. You can't go home again. 

As someone who has had many homes in her lifetime it's even trickier for me. 

The boys and I went to Illinois this weekend and everyone kept saying, "welcome back home!" And that was so sweet. 

Then one said, "This is nice, but my home is Florida."

Which makes sense. My kids have been in Florida since they were small children. So then I got to thinking; where is home to me?

It shouldn't be a hard question to ask, but I like to overthink and analyse things to death so why should this be any different?

Home is my first memories, which happened to be in Alaska. I remember the house we lived in, our neighbours, and the pets we had. 

Home is the first time I truly remember getting hurt, when I was hit by a car in Johnston City, Illinois. I remember my aunt bringing me a tiger from the Shirt Tales cartoon, I remember my dad was TDY, and I remember the laughs that were had after everyone knew I was okay. 

Home is the first pet I remember losing. When we moved from Texas to Hawaii we left my cat with my grandmother. Sometime after that, she wrote and said my cat had died. I remember misunderstanding her letter and laughing at her silliness. Then my mom had to explain that Fluffy had actually died. It broke my little heart and I'll always remember how sad I felt for days after. 

Home is my first kiss as an awkward 12 year old. I was never a pretty girl, I was never a popular girl, I was always the DUFF. The one they'd throw to their friend who never got a date. Then this guy I've liked since fourth grade came over one day, we talked talked and he kissed me. Right before I moved. lol talk about timing. 

Home is moving to my first school without the cloak of "military brat" to cover me anymore. The first school where I was the "weird new girl from Hawaii", and that's it. The first place I was out of my element and having to explain things I took for granted that everyone knew. 

Home is the first time my heart was broken. I felt what I thought was love for the very first time and ended up broken hearted. Of course many, many years later I learned about the real thing, but at the time it was completely real for me. 

Home is the first time I became a mother. Over 21 years ago my life changed for the better and the worse and since then I have two amazing, beautiful sons I wouldn't change for the world.

You see, my home is spread out all over the globe. My home, my heart, cannot be contained to a house, or a building, or anything other than a state of mind. 

So I guess one could say I'm homeless, or I just consider everywhere I go to be my home. 

So yeah, I guess when I visited Illinois, I was home, in every form or fashion.