I’ve been living this “nomadic” life for a few years now. I’m in the thick of another move and am so anxious. SO I’m choosing to write my anxiety away with a truth I have learned over these years. Well, this and prayer.
Every move brings something new. Each time, thankfully, it brings a new home. A physical place where we can put all of our stuff. You know, the stuff that makes your new place feel like home. One things every military family can tell you is, do not get attached to stuff. It breaks, gets lost, or stolen all the time in a move. Y’all kid you not, our movers this last time were telling me about two whole crates that just fell off the boat and into the ocean. This disturbed me on many levels but my point is, when movers take your stuff, you really have no idea if you’ll see it again.
So Stuff does not make our home.
Ok, so what about, the whole “having our family together makes it a home”. Nope, not this one either. I’m currently a part from my husband and we’re moving across the ocean away from all of our family. With my husband having a job with field work and deployments, I can’t say having our family together makes a home because sometimes our family is a part.
So physical togetherness as a family does not make our home.
What does make our home?
Our community makes our home. We have a strong sense of community and cherish the one the Lord has built around us. They have been amazing at adapting to our nomadic life and have stuck by us through some dark times. Wherever we go, wherever we are. Our community is there.
Our togetherness, in a non physical sense, as a family makes our home. Joey and I talk constantly to make sure our hearts are aligning. Now, more than ever. Feeling distant or separated from the people you are closest to can cause a home to crumble. We’ve had hard lessons in this so now more than ever, togetherness makes our home.
Laughter and tickles make our home. The echo of the girls laugh and the intense shrieks when Joey is reaching in his pocket only to find “The Claw” is priceless and absolutely makes our home.
Snuggles make our home. Guys, I love snuggles. If Joey isn’t here, I’m getting all the kiddo snuggles, if they refuse I’m getting the puppy snuggles. They never refuse, so snuggles make our home.
Prayer makes our home. It’s a constant. It is the foundation for all of the other things. It’s necessary for us to make our home.
Finding Joy in the Lord makes our home. It’s easy for us to get distracted especially in the middle of a move. Add being away from your spouse on top of that, finding joy in the Lord and his words have never been more prominent.
All of these things cannot be dropped in the ocean and travel really well for the nomadic life we have chosen. If I’m being honest, the last two make our foundation and really hold our home up. A few of the others, although they travel well, can also be easily shaken. So we choose to stand on the last two and let everything flow from there!
What makes your home? Does it travel well? Does your home stand on a certain one?
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