November 28, 2013
As we drove further into Vancouver, Washington for the first time in months, I had an overwhelming rush of excitement run through me.
“I’m home,” I whispered.
Everything looked the same, the putt-putt golf course that I went to with my parents when I was little still shining brightly in the sun. Everything was right. I was where I was meant to be. Or at least I felt I was, as the voice on the back of my mind continued to say over and over: “It is no longer yours.”
August 12, 2015
How long does it take before you feel used to your surroundings? Apparently two years. Longview finally feels like home, and of course, we need to leave so dad can be close to work. Why is it so hard to feel involved within your surroundings? If I had fallen in love with Longview sooner, I could have embraced the friends I had there more. I could have stopped sulking over not living in Vancouver anymore and learned to deal with my situation.
I guess it’s true that you never know you have a good thing until it is gone.
September 24, 2016
Moving once again, I should not be surprised at this point. At least this move I am happy about. Having very few friends during our time in JBLM has definitely put a damper on my spirits. It is strange to think that in a place where every household has at least three kids I still feel alone. At church no one even tried to get to know me; they all thought I was going to move away anyway, so I was ignored.
I guess they were right, considering I’m moving to Tenino now, but that does not excuse my rejection and the feelings that come with it.
March 29, 2021
Now that I think of it, home is a very relative word. It means so many things to so many different people.
I have had my family with me with every move we took. For the longest time, I considered home to be a place where I felt the most comfortable. This is true in some ways but many people in horrible situations don’t always feel comfortable or safe within their homes. Over time I thought it was possibly the memories we gain. But when memories fade, would that mean it was never home?
A home should be more than that. Home is the people who are there for you. Making cookies together, reminding you to change out of your pajamas, and bringing you a bowl of soup when your sick. Memories can make a house feel like a home, but when you move, the people who will make the new place home are the ones you share it with.
A home is where the people who love you are. Whether genetically related to you or not. No matter how far they may be, a home will be waiting for you.