just a thought

I was driving off base the other day and saw a vinyl quote pasted across the back window of a minivan. It said, "Live a life worth their sacrifice." I thought, "whose sacrifice". Then I looked at the license plates which said USO. What a thought provoking statement. It definitely makes me want to live my life to the fullest, because I certainly am grateful for the sacrifices that our military families make.

Home is where.........

Often one of the first questions asked when meeting someone new is, "Where are ya from?". I have always had a definitive answer to this question. I am from Idaho. No it's not in the mid west and no I didn't say Iowa. I have never understood those people that respond, "oh I'm just a military brat." Who doesn't have a home? That's what I have always thought.

Home is where the (fill in your branch of service) sends us. I have seen so many cute signs and blogs with this saying on it. If you truly believe this, I am so impressed. I think that it is amazing that you can turn any place you live, even if for just a few months, into your home. I will never utter this statement. For me, it just is not true. Sure, I live where ever the Air Force sends us, but it's not my home.

My home is Idaho. Don't get me wrong, I have not lived in Idaho my whole life, and I haven't lived there for the past 3 years, but that's where my heart belongs. I must be a believer of the phrase "home is where the heart is". To me, home is not a house or even just one place. It is an all encompassing state of being. There is no place better than being home.

Seeing the beauty of the mountains and the movement of the wheat fields, of my home, puts my heart at ease. In a world that is filled with conflict, competition, and sorrow, my soul is filled with delight when I stand on the top of the mountain and cannot see another human. I am surrounded by family and sweet memories that give me strength to carry on. Those moments, at home, are the balm that heals my troubled heart and help me make it through the lonely, hopeless nights of worry. There is no place on earth where I feel more at peace with myself and with my maker that at my home.

I cannot create this feeling where ever I go. It just isn't possible for me. Sometimes I worry that LB won't have a home. This thought breaks my heart. I think everyone, especially my own son, deserves a place of peace. I pray that he will find his home. It doesn't have to be where we live and it doesn't have to be my home, but it does have to be a place that restores his spirit and his faith in man kind.

Where's your home? Is it where the military sends you? What keeps you going when the times are tough? Here are a few pictures I've taken at my home.

This is the view from my parents front porch. See why I love it?