Home is where the...stuff is?

Home is where the heart is.

We've all heard this expression. Have you ever stopped to think about what it means? I mean, really stopped to think about it...is home really where the heart is?

Home. The place where we rest. The place where we spend our leisure time. The place where we relax. A place that we go to and from. "A house, apartment or other shelter that is the usual residence of a person, family, or household. The place in which one's domestic affections are centered. The place or region where something is native or most common. Any place of residence or refuge." (dictionary.com)

Where the heart is. Where is my heart? On one level (the deepest level), my heart belongs to Jesus/God/Lover of my Soul. So if my home is where God is, I guess that's everywhere, right? I should feel just as at home walking down the street or sitting in church or shopping in the grocery store as I feel at my place of residence. Right? Ok, that may be pushing it. But I'm thinking maybe I should watch where I feel attached...I should be ready to go at a moment's notice...this world is not my home. (???) Moving on...

My heart is also with Nathan. This narrows my home down a bit more. God is everywhere, so that is a given, but Nathan is not. So whenever I'm with Nathan I should feel at home? This feels closer to the mark. When I grocery shop with Nathan I feel more at home than when I grocery shop alone. I do feel more "at home", even while across the continent, when Nathan is at my side. But that still leaves me questioning why, even when on vacation with Nathan, I still just long to be "home" after a couple weeks away.

My heart is with our families and friends. Sometimes we leave our "home" and travel to visit our families and friends who live in different places. While I do feel more "at home" in these homes than I do in the homes of strangers, I still don't feel the same way as when I am surrounded by familiar things...by the things in my home.

So the question stands, is home really where the heart is? Or is home where the stuff is?

I was thinking about this tonight as some of my "stuff" is sitting in boxes in a basement (only to be opened in two years), while some of it is integrated into other households. Where is home? I feel a strange sense of displacement when I see some of the things that have made my home feel so much like home in the past few years suddenly being used in places that are not home to me. My piano. My couch and chairs. My blankets.

I was a bit shocked and taken aback at my feelings. Why would I feel so protective over my stuff? It's just that...stuff. I see the value in holding "things" loosely as I definitely don't see possessions as a huge thing in life. And I understand having these things being used while we're gone instead of just sitting around collecting dust. But I'm having a hard time knowing where home is these days...and seeing the "stuff" of my home so scattered doesn't help me feel very grounded. : )

I wonder if it will be difficult to feel at home once we are surrounded by only a carload of things that are familiar (moving down to the States in only our car). I was given some advice from a friend a couple weeks before we moved from our last home. She said that it is important as you move (especially when you move alot) to always take a certain thing from your household with you, to each place you move, so that when you see that item you know that you are home. I've been thinking alot this month about what will make our new apartment feel like home. What can we surround ourselves with so that my mind and heart understand that this is home for a while? I haven't come up with much yet...but I am really beginning to understand the wisdom in what my friend suggested. (thanks, R)

Home is where the heart is. Home is where the stuff is.

Hmm...I really have no conclusion to this. I just wanted to share some thoughts as that's what this blog is about.

I hope you all are doing well in your respective homes and that you are feeling "at home" these days. Please feel free to share what you think. Is home where the heart is for you? Or is home where the stuff is? Where is the line between those two? What is the definition of home for you? Where do you call home today?