On Going Home

Home has been of great discussion lately. Gus and I have been decorating our little one bedroom, looking into buying our first house (at some point), and coming up on one year of living in NC (this September). But I've been thinking about what home really is for me, and I find it's much more than I guess I realized.

This Sunday night, Gus and I attended Catholic mass at Duke Chapel, my alma mater. In that gorgeous gothic cathedral, I found myself remembering, almost feeling, exactly what it was like to call Duke home. Taking in the elaborate stone work that climbed the walls, I revisited small and big moments I had spent in that very place. At the altar, I saw the weddings I had been a bridesmaid in. In the pews, I remembered clearly, as if it were yesterday, my baccalaureate, listening the most intently to any homily I've ever heard (this one) from the Dean of the Chapel, Rev. Sam Wells.

In reliving these moments, and imagining exactly how it felt to be at home at Duke, I realized that I've had many homes in my life, and those homes aren't just physical places. They have been rich and diverse, and filled with amazing people. College was one time in my life and one version of me... high school was another. I posted a t-shirt I designed for our Senior class 10 years ago (whew!) to my Facebook page, and found myself suddenly remembering the sights, the sounds, and the memories of that experience. Another me, another time, another piece of fabric to the quilt.

And I think back to all these other homes, like the one we left in Los Angeles. A life of friends who do and did amazing things (like working on the number #5 movie of all time), the work we did, and the people we were in that life, in that home.

When I think through all of these homes, I guess I realize that I should be patient when I think about our future and the beautiful home we hope to own one day. I know, and perhaps it was God's way of telling me in the Chapel this week, that I have already lived in so many beautiful homes that I'm sure I can't even imagine what the next one will be.

Duke Chapel Photo | via