Home Isn't Where The Heart Is

At this moment, I am happy.

I'm sitting in my parents' home in beautiful Santa Rosa, California.

I have no stress.

I have no worries.

I'm with my amazing parents.

And yet, I can't wait to get back to Provo, Utah.

...

Let me explain.

As time passes, and memories are made in varying places, home eventually becomes a simple location.

It's comfortable, it shelters loved ones, and yet, it's difficult to identify with.

So, when I say home isn't where the heart is, I'm really saying that:

My Home: is in her testimony

My Sister Wilks lives 2,000 miles away. I haven't seen her in 16 months. Despite these depressing facts, I feel closer to her now than I ever have. As I read her letters, the spirit heals my wounds. Her raw testimony bleeds Nephi strength, Joseph faith, and Hinkley determination.

I identify with that.

My Home: is in his growth and daily triumphs

With Cal living so close, I'm able to see him daily. This exposure allows me to feel his spirit while it goes through the flames. He faces trials, troubling things find him, Satan is his #1 fan. In the face of this reality, Calvin changes his perspective. He sees what he wants to see. He makes good of an impossible situation. He finds a trail at a dead end. It may not always be the right trail, it might contain a steep incline, but at least he's moving.

I identify with that.

My Home: is in their strength and undeniable love

These two people work so hard. Not only with work, not only with church, but in every aspect of life. They seriously give 100%, 100% of the time. No, they're not perfect, but they have a perfect desire to reach perfection. And the thing I love? They don't want to get there alone. So they spend their time serving those around them; always trying to better their neighbors' situation. They understand the importance of gathering the flock, and they do so with love, faith, and confidence.

That I identify with.

These are my people. Our hearts cover three different states. Our lives are all completely different; unique and difficult in their own way.

Home is so not where the heart is.

Home is where you're happy.

And I find my happiness in them.

-h