My Weekend at Home

I went home this weekend to visit my parents and my granddad and I had a wonderful time.  I am thankful for the opportunity to still be able to go home and visit the place where I spent my formative years.  I was treated like royalty....a great feeling after grinding it out at work for several weeks straight. 

Some of my observations from this weekend:

• I got to visit with my nephew and niece.  I don't get to see them much and I got to see them even less as they were growing up.  And they are great kids.  They are making a name and a life for themselves.  Things haven't been easy for them growing up, but they have overcome some obstacles and seem to be headed in a good direction.  Keep it up Sam and Zach.  I'll keep watching from the sidelines and visiting you as often as I can.  Stay the course!
• I have an admission to make.  On Sunday night as we started to eat, my father asked my granddad to pray and I opened my eyes and watched him as he was praying.  I wanted to see him give grace.  I always hear my granddad pray, but I don't often get to see him pray.  And it was wonderful.  Granddad seemed so peaceful and happy when he was praying.  He's the real deal.  And an inspiration to all those who are lucky enough to have met him.
• I am not super close to my youngest brother.  Our age difference made that difficult growing up.  But I love every minute I spend with him and we are becoming closer.  This weekend, we tracked a deer that had been shot to see if we could find the carcass or a "gut pile".  After some good detective work, we found that someone had field-dressed the deer.  Our experience in the woods this weekend was memorable and fun.  Just doing the simple things together can mean so much. 
• My parents took me to a dinner theater for my birthday.  It was in a barn and it wasn't super fancy or super professional.  But it was warm and comforting and it was a birthday that I will always remember.  We created memories and I am grateful for those times. Thank you Dad and Shirl!!

Going home means different things to different people.  However, for me it means being able to relax, and talk, and just catch up.  My "childhood" home is a refuge from the busyness of the outside world.  Best of all, it's a place where I can be myself.  Home is where one starts and where they can go back to a re-start again.