Where is Home?

Last week I sold my house.

Built in 1948 and continually in need of cost-prohibitive maintenance, especially in the later years, I was happy to have the burden of a mortgage off my back.

At the same time, however, it was my home. My place. My refuge. My address. My stability.

It's gone now and I'm thankful, but now I wonder...where is home?

I've lived in Indonesia for almost 3 years, but I don't own a home (foreigners aren't legally allowed to own property...a good idea, I must say, based on the colonial past of this country). 

Charlotte, NC will always be my home. I was born there and I love it. 

When I was 3, my family moved from there to the "town where I grew up". Decidedly NOT my home. 

And here I am now. "The place where I live". But is it home?

If I follow the line of reasoning that says the place where you own property is home, then what about all the people in the world who rent? Have they no home either?

I don't think so.

I decided that I have many homes. If my home is where MY heart is, then my home is wherever my daughter happens to be. My home is also where my mother is, and even where my dearest and closest friends are. My memories may be in Elkin, NC, or in the NC mountains, or even along the coasts of North and South Carolina, but those places aren't home. I am sad to say that the city and neighborhood where I spent the happiest years of my life are no longer my home, either. 

I once worked for someone who told me that he'd never before met anyone as willing and committed to growing as I am. He was right; I will push myself and I will do all I can to grow into the person I should be. It's not easy, and it's certainly not easy right now as I ponder the meaning of home, roots, stability, and even purpose. 

The culture that nurtured me and formed my belief systems is like other places now, a memory. Now I have to consider what to keep and what to let go, what's valuable and what holds me back. 

While the places I've loved are memories, my home will always be where my heart is. And my heart is with many wonderful people, even within me.

I thank God for the love that will always make a place for me and will always provide my home.