Home

 We left our RV in Orlando, FL and have traveled back to Oregon for the holidays. We made all of these plans before it was recommended not to travel during the holidays, so sorry about that state of Oregon. We had planned on driving back to Oregon but as we were spending time in Nashville, TN, we began to tire of driving and wanted to spend quality time in each location instead of having to hurry and rush everywhere we were. We also realized after traveling once across the U.S. that it is a long and taxing journey and we did not want to do it four times, so we flew back to Oregon.

Here we are getting to see family and friends, mostly outside and making sure we are staying safe, and it just feels so strange to be in our hometown but it doesn't feel like "home". We don't have jobs, or school or church right now to attend, we are just visitors. We stop by and see our friends and surprise people, some who we haven't seen since July, and we just pop back into people's lives. It feels so good to see people that we know and recognize and to re-connect with our community, even amidst a pandemic. Yet, we are also struck with the strange experience of being somewhat on the outside of this community as well. 

I've been thinking about this idea of home, of traveling, sojourning, journeying. We are all on a journey, right? Certainly if we believe in Jesus, then this is not our real home, it is only a taste of what is to come. So, it's only right to feel out of place, in fact, we should feel displaced as heaven is our eternal home. But so much of me wants a permanent home because it is planted in me! I have the desire to know people and to be known. I'm enjoying that as we are here and being around people we know. It's such a blessing to have community and I know that wherever we end up next, we will have community again.