Back Home Again

For much of my adult life, I've been a fan of John Denver. Years ago, when I was a student at Wesley Seminary in Washington, he did a concert at the National Cathedral. That sealed the deal for me! Since our mission team has returned home from Nashville, the refrain to one of his songs has been playing in my head: "Hey, it's good to be back home again; yes, it is."

While I love going away from home, there is always something sweet about coming back home. Maybe it's having the familiar at our fingertips; or perhaps it's the spouse who is so delighted with your return; or could it be that home is so comfortable, so inviting?

The mission trip reminds me that everyone wants a home that is inviting. No matter who people are and where they are from, no matter what the state of place in which they live, home is important.

Whenever I think of the trailer park in which our team worked, I will hold in my mind the image of the trailer in which Paul and Edwin put in a new water heater. On the first day, when the Shalom Zone staffer took us to this home, as I stood in the living room and kitchen, looking around, I noticed that the walls were a soft, warm yellow. The young couple shared that they were expecting a baby and were getting their home ready to receive him. Canisters in white and the same soft yellow graced the counter tops. Their trailer will never make House Beautiful, but it would make Better Homes.

Will anyone ever be able to say definitively what makes home so important? Maybe not. What I do know is this: When I walk through the door of the home that Mark and I share, I'm thinking, "Hey, it's good to be back home again; yes, it is!"