Home is You and I

Google says home is the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household, but that changed for me at the age of 16. I had to leave the people, places and the very things that I called home. Joy filled my heart at the prospect of being able to get a higher education. I packed my bags with things that would remind me of home in hopes to mask the pain my heart was also feeling.

Hours later. Here I was in a foreign land, my new home. A new continent, country, state, city, culture, people, food, and a new climate.

Months turned to years and this foreign land become my home. The people my people, the culture my culture, the city my city. I made friends that became family. The city became a beauty I looked forward to beholding. I looked forward to the different season the weather had to offer, and I soak them all in. Despite the challenges that came with leaving my home country, I was able to make home of this new city.

Minnesota is known for its lakes and forests and my city Mankato, is known for its parks.

Because of how long the winter months are, the people of Mankato really cherish the few months that we get to enjoy the summer. Winter would typically run from November to March with a lot of snow and freezing temperatures. People dressing in layers to keep warm, cars sliding while driving because of the icy roads, days quickly turning to nights - Daylight Saving Time. These scenarios pretty much sum up our winter and of course the beauty that comes with it .

The spring months are short but wet. April and May come with lots of rain, which means slimy, wet grounds, sometimes flood, and some years more snow. One thing that comes with spring are the growing leaves on the dry trees. The trees start to come back to life. Spring represents the start of a new thing.

Summer, dare I say is every Minnesotan’s favorite season. Between June and July everybody is out and about. I personally get to wear outfits without layering them, attend events with friends, take lots of pictures, visit amusement parks, visit new restaurants, and travel.

Fall is the transitioning season to winter. It typically starts in September and ends in October but it could go as far as mid-November. The leaves on the trees start to change color before finally falling away. In my opinion, the most beautiful season of them all. Fall reminds me of the beauty and importance of change, the growth that comes with change and the growth that comes with the different seasons.

And so, I live and enjoy the memories this home is offering me, fully aware that someday my fall will come, and my season will have to change causing me to leave this home in search of another place to call home. One of the challenges that come with being a stranger in a foreign land is that I am constantly on the move. So I allow myself to live in the moments, loving, serving, appreciating, and affirming all the joy and pains that I experience wherever I find myself. It’s hard to constantly be on the move but on the flip side, being on the move opens me up to experience different people, culture, food and of course climate.

So, what is home to me? Home is where my heart finds rest. Home is where I am able to fully be. Home is where companionship isn’t distance. Home is where love, joy, happiness, sadness, pain, laughter, tears, family, conflicts all reside. We all are walking homes, we can be home to people and people be home to us. Home is you and I. Home is where my heart finds rest.