Where is home?

I am so glad that I live the life I live. I am so blessed. I have a family who loves me. Both my parents are still alive, and still married for that matter. My brother and sister are blessings each and every day.

On top of all that I have this amazing network of friends.

I have lived in Dallas, East Texas, Austin, New Orleans, and DC (Virginia). Maybe it's a lot, and maybe it isn't, but it got me thinking. "Where is home?". Right now home is New Orleans. It's the city I have chosen to settle down in. I'm building a business here, meeting and making new friends, and doing the best I can to appreciate every day. However, a few weeks ago I went "home" to Texas. My parents now live in East Texas. I never grew up there. I don't have any friends there, but it's still home, because it's where my parents are. I also call Dallas home. It IS where I grew up. It's where I learned and made friends. It's where I went to school for 13 years.

I was emailing with a a friend last week, thanking her for being such a great friend, and she asked me if I was coming "home" in May. She lives in Virginia. I never would have dreamed that I would call Virginia home. I don't have any family there, and I didn't "grow up" there. I did however spend the better part of my 20's there. So much happens to you as a young adult to shape who you are for the rest of your life, and all of this happened to me in Virginia. Virginia is also where most of my friends are. Don't get me wrong, I have amazing friends in New Orleans as well, but I have more in Virginia. These people became my family away from my family. They sat by my hospital bed when I was sick (literally). They celebrated birthdays with me. They were my "peeps". When I was visiting my parents I got lost, and asked someone for directions. The lady said "I'm not sure, I'm from Baltimore." Immediately my face brightened and I responded "Really?! I'm from Virginia!". (For those geographically challenged, Maryland and Virginia sit on either side of DC, and it's common to commute from one place to the other). She and I chatted for a few minutes, sharing a bond of being so far away from "home".

I'm not sure that I will ever not call these places home. I suppose the Lord has chosen to bless me again. This time with 4 different places I can always call "home".

Love,
Tina Marie