Who Is Your Home?

Last night, I finally got around to watching the movie “Chocolat.”  (I rank this right up there with Twilight on being a female seductive obsession and being completely lost on the male counterpart.  I loved it, and PapaGray fought to stay awake.  But I digress).  There was a scene that was so tiny, but resonated with me.  In it, Roux (Johnny Depp) is checking in on Vianne (Juliette Binoche) after his houseboat was set afire.  In her sadness about him moving on and leaving, she realized he had lost the boat he’d been living on.

Vianne: “Your boat – you’ve lost your home.”

 Roux: “No, just a way to get from place to place.”

It was small and insignificant to the movie, but speaks deeply into what we call our home.

What is home to you?

Is it a big home in the suburbs, a house in the country, a boat, an RV…or something more?

When I look up the definition of home, it is very utilitarian.  It is a place where you live.  But wow, to me, it’s so much more.  I live in a house.  Home – home is so much more.  Home is this, and I give you permission to let the tears flow freely:

My family is my home.  Our house can go up in flames tomorrow and as long as I have my family, I still have home.   We can travel the world and vagabond from one place to another, and carry our home within our hearts.

Home, to me, is connection.  It’s comfort, love, and serenity.  Home is being completely vulnerable, open and feeling loved.  Home is love.  

Push away the utilitarian definition, and re-envision what “home” feels like to you.  Who is your home?  Do you have loving relationships that allow you to heave the big sigh of contentment when you are with them? Are you able to sit and soak it in?

If this is a pain point for you – if your chest constricts with anxiety at the thought of “dealing with” the kids or your spouse, or you find your home-life being more of an escape from connection and a time to zone out in front of the TV, maybe it’s time to reevaluate.

Maybe now is the time to reconnect.  There are no roll-over minutes in life, and you don’t get this time back.  Your home may go up in smoke, and you will lose loved ones in this lifetime before you are ready for it.

Make these moments count.  Connect with your family again.  And if you want to go deeper to see how to really connect, dive in with me and let’s get a family plan where you thrive instead of simply survive.

Those little vacation moments don’t need to be reserved for the beach – you can enjoy your family and find that home connection every single day.

Be intentional about it, and remember, home is what you make it.