Finding home in the heart
‘What I love most about my home is who I share it with.’ Tad Carpenter
Some years ago, one of our sons was asked how he coped with the many house moves his parents made over the years. His response came immediately and straight from his heart. ‘Home is wherever mum and dad are.’
I don’t think my husband and I ever planned to live semi nomadic lives, it just happened out of a mix of necessity and who we are.
We enjoy discovering beauty in all places and meeting people from all walks of life.
We are drawn to people and their stories of faith, hope and love. Stories that inspire, provoke and add to our understanding of what it means to be human.
We treasure those who have trusted us and felt at home with us wherever we are.
Thomas Merton says, “We’re called to give our hearts to the world, but first we have to have our hearts in our own possession. We cannot give to others what we ourselves don’t possess.”
The journey for us as ‘happy wanderers’ has been to daily learn to be at home in our own hearts.
Learning the ways of giving and receiving, owning when we are hurting others, celebrating when we are part of the solution. Learning to listen to ourselves and to others without prejudice and judgement. Learning when to accept, forgive, and love well. Learning how to let go of fixing, advising, setting straight and respectfully refusing to accept other’s attempts to do so.
Learning ultimately to allow our gentle and good God to make His home in our hearts. This is still an unfolding mystery and the greatest adventure of our lives.
You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its home in you. ― Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
