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"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23: 1-4

Since my husband started working for our local Ford dealership, we've had numerous opportunities to travel. We've been all over Oklahoma picking up or delivering cars. We've traveled to Arkansas, Denver, and Tennessee. And that's only in the last four months! As much as I love seeing this country under a different piece of sky, I am always eager to return home to Pryor.

When I was younger, I would become easily attached to places. Whether it was our childhood home or San Marcos, the town I grew up in, I always felt connected to familiar buildings and rooms. But as I grew older, and my divorced parents lived in different places, I began to sever all ties with anything familiar or comfortable. I lived out of a suitcase. I slept in different houses, in different rooms, and in different beds. My mom had to move around a lot, and we'd rotate rooms at my dad's house so often that I never felt settled. I longed for a home that I could safely rest my head without worry or confusion.

Some days, it's hard to relive the past. But every once in a while, like today, peace comes when I think about the trials I've endured. If it had not been for this trial--trying to discover what home really means--I never would have learned that my home isn't a place. I had to travel very far to discover that home is a church pew on Sunday morning, surrounded by family and friends. It's the way my cat crawls into my lap and instantly falls asleep. Or the long, honest talks Mom and I have sitting on my bedroom floor. And it's the reminder that my story isn't over yet. God's still with me. He's still leading me. He still has work for me to do before I come home to Him. And when I finally am home, every trial, every tear, every worry and every heartbreak will have been worth it all. Because regardless of how weary my soul is, "He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul." The blessings God bestows on me daily--peace in the middle of a raging storm, the money that falls out of the laundry right when I need it, and watching people I love start embracing God's will for their life--are little glimpses of my real home: Heaven.