Home
noun 1. The place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household.
William just got back to Italy after being back in the states for two months and we've been doing a lot of thinking about how "home" is a funny word to us. Many people think of it as place, but for us, it's a feeling. We are very thankful that God has blessed us with so many places that give us that warm and fuzzy comforting feeling that many associate with the word "home." We do still struggle with the fact that we don't have a permanent residence and aren't sure when we actually will, but we trust that God has everything under control and we believe we are right where we belong.
So, Will has lived all over the world in more places than some people have traveled to. He was born in California, grew up in Tennessee, Colorado, and North Carolina, began military training in Georgia, was stationed in Alaska, Afghanistan, Washington, D.C., and together we have lived in Maryland and Italy. Will has trouble answering the questions "where are you from?" or "where's home?" He always has lots of explaining to do and sometimes wishes he had more of a concrete answer. But Will is lucky. When we visit Italian Vineyards, he smiles as he remembers the long drives through the rolling California Hills with his Dad. When he smells crisp mountain air, he feels peace as he remembers snowboarding in the Rocky Mountains with his friends. When he hears country music, he's comforted as he thinks of the years he spent with his Mom, Step Dad, and siblings in the south. When it snows, he laughs remembering snow skiing in freezing Alaska. When he has no service, he feels humbled as he remembers the disconnect from society and technology that he felt in Afghanistan. When he stands for the National Anthem, he feels proud as he remembers having the honor of holding the American Flag for important events for his job in D.C. When we reminisce about our beginning and our time with Mila, we swoon as we remember where it all started for us, in Maryland.
Now Britt hasn't moved around anywhere close to as much as Will, but she still has many places that she is nostalgic for. Britt grew up in Annapolis, Maryland and lived there her whole life with her Mom, Dad and Brother. She cheered competitively for 10 years with the same group of girls and she couldn't imagine not seeing them 3-5 times a week as the years came to an end. But, after High School, she packed her bags and moved to Penn State without knowing a single other person going. Although scary at first, Penn State became HERS. Happy Valley was a place Britt fearlessly belonged and those years represented a life that she created on her own. When it was time to pack up and leave after graduation, her heart broke. Not because she wasn't excited to get back to Maryland, but because she thought she had to leave this piece of her behind. Shortly after moving back home to Maryland, she met William who showed her that when you move from one place to another, you don't leave it behind, you bring it with you. We think God brought us together to remind each other of that.
After years of traveling to see family all over the U.S., being busy with our jobs, raising a daughter who lives in another state with her mom, packing up, moving to a new country, wondering where the Army will send us next, and trying to figure out where to say "home" is, when people ask those questions, we have learned that we do have a solid answer after all:
Home is our happy place.
Home is each other.
Home is forever.
So far, we don't know where we are headed next, so we are sipping wine, enjoying this slow paced Italian dream with our new pup for now! We love sharing all of the in-betweens with you as we wait to hear God's next plan for us, so thanks for following along as always! We're praying that your home is where your heart is too!
Love,
Britt & Will
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