Where is home?

Tai has always been interested in the fact that he was born in a foreign country that he has no memory of. When we told him we might be going to Japan he said he could see "my home sweet home". Right after we landed in Japan, Tai said I am at "my home sweet home."

In Japan, every time someone returns home they say "I have returned" then those at home answer "welcome home". When we returned to Japan many people welcomed us with the same "welcome home". It got us to thinking about how you define home. The boys get a little confused. Are we living in Japan for a short time or is this a long vacation? What do we mean when we say it is time to go home.

In our married lives Terence and I have known many homes. For Terence the area around Vancouver, Canada will always remind him of home. For me it is the area around Cincinnati and my childhood home of Tampa. But home has been other places too. Our first home as a married couple was in Chiba, Japan. Then home was Anderson, Indiana. The first home that Willem remembers was right here in this neighborhood in Inagi, Japan. Then home was in Cincinnati and later West Chester, Ohio. That is the first home that Tai remembers. Now home is in "Alabana" (as Xavier says). Even at our wedding Terence and I knew that we would have many homes. As a part of our marriage ceremony we made the commitment Ruth made to Naomi from Ruth 1:16.

"Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God."

So what is home? Home is where your family is. Sometimes that family is the one you were born into and sometimes that family is made up of your dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Your brothers and sisters sometimes speak with a southern accent and sometimes speak a language that you barely understand. It is great to know so many homes. Now we are enjoying our home in Japan but in six more weeks we will return to our home in Alabama.

note: picture is of Tai in our livingroom.  He fell asleep like this writing in his journal.