Where Is Home?

Military wife Anni Harry ponders the adventure of creating a new home with each move, but strives to keep in mind where her true home is.

There is a saying among military families: “Home is where the military sends you.” Our civilian counterparts know the saying, “Home is where the heart is.” It’s a meaningful sentiment—our home resides where we have loved ones waiting for us.

Recently, as I worked on a chore around the house and was talking to God, I faltered with the end of the sentence, “Home is where …” For the life of me, I couldn’t recall either the civilian or military family version.

Instead, what came out during that prayer time was, “Home is where … God is.”

The more I considered that statement, the more I grew to contemplate the meaning.

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Our family typically moves every two years. For the first time since we got married, we actually have a third year expected at a duty station, and in looking back at all the duty stations my husband has been sent, we have created a “home.” We have created an extended family, who celebrates the joys with us, and slugs through the low points with us, sometimes carrying us.

There never seems to be much “constant,” in my life, and while it proves difficult at times, it is also fun to see what new things are going to arise.

Yet, as I considered “Home is where God is,” I realized that the sentiment is so true.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux is credited with writing, “The world is thy ship, not thy home.”

Each of us is on a long journey home.

That journey takes many twists and turns, we walk through hills and valleys, and we might be surprised at the obstacles we may encounter. It’s as though we are living through one great “Choose Your Own Adventure” novel, with all of the endings leading to our eternal destiny.

The one constant on our journey is where we can find our Lord.

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Christ comes to us at every Mass we attend.

The Lord enters not just into our lives, but into our being, when we receive Him in the Eucharist.

God provides us with spiritual nourishment and sustenance. He gives us spiritual food and drink for our journey.

When we hit a desert, He sends an oasis, beaconing to us from the glinting Tabernacle of our local church. He calls out in the wilderness to us, offering us a place to set our pack, soak up His radiance, and be refueled.

Every day, we encounter paths which we can choose, which take us, step by step, toward our home.

All too often, it is easy to get wrapped up in the minutia of the day, week, or years. It’s so easy to lose perspective that, even when we lie our heads down on our pillow at night, with our loved ones close by, we really aren’t home.

Not yet.

The beauty of our great adventure is found in having a fresh start every morning, and even the choice available to take the right path every minute. We don’t know when we will round the bend and see our eternal home, and the journey can be far from easy. Sometimes, the ship we are on will sway, groan, creak from the stress of the waves.

However, as we continue our journey, let us be reminded of the comforting words that we long to hear when we do make it home: “Well done, my good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).

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