Add One More!

"Do you feel like your sense of 'home' has been taken from you?"

The question was posed to me recently by my brother-in-law. 'Taken' conjures up images of force, something being wrenched away--a violation of sorts.

"No, not 'taken' from me," I responded, "I feel, instead, like my sense of home has been multiplied."

This lifestyle I have been granted has given me the gift of 'at homeness' in many places. I know what it feels like to be 'at home' in Bucharest, just like I know the 'at homeness' of my parents' farm in Nebraska, or my best friends' childhood home in County Kildare, Ireland. I am wonderfully 'at home' in Mesa, AZ with brother Dave and family, as well as in Knoxville, TN with my sister and her husband. "Home' is friend Jill's duplex in the suburbs of Minneapolis, and Prim's rambly house in Peja, Kosova. I am blessed to be equally at ease on the gravel roads of rural Nebraska and the streets of European cities. 'Home' is for me the familiar, the comfortable... a place where I can let down and be me.

And now I have one more 'home' to add to my list, Red Cloud--also the home of Willa Cather. Friends and I visited last weekend, and I immediately felt at ease in the little town in southern Nebraska. Long-time residents warmly wrapped us into their lives and welcomed us into their homes--sharing stories and food--giving us a real-life glimpse into a place that feels a bit like Andy Griffith's Mayberry. Local authors, long time residents, brick streets, front porch rockers, historic houses, and everyone-knows-your-name cafes, the town has it all.... It's a rare gem where time seems to have stood still...and yet goes on. A little town filled with history and flowing with friendliness. And best of all ...another place to call home :).