Home is where the heart is!

That sounds cheesy! Cheesy or not tho, the older I get the more I realize it is true!

For as long as I can remember my mom made our house a home. Not only for us kids, but for our friends! Friends were in our house all the time. I was 10 when my sister started at OCC. Our home was their home away from home. They were there all the time. They sought out the place they could go and feel a little less homesick. My brother Tom was still in high school at the time and his friends came by to raid the pantry and to talk...and probably to see what college girls my sister had brought home. When we moved to Chattanooga and lived across the street from the church, it was the same for my friends.

Our house wasn't always seasonally decorated or over the top, but it was welcoming and inviting. It was a safe place, it was a home away from home for my friends. There would be days I would come home from school and my friends were already in the house or waiting on us to get home. My mom always made sure she had "the regulars" favorite drinks and snacks in the pantry and fridge! I am assuming since they kept coming back they felt loved!

We also had crafts, talks, laughs...even had an easter egg hunt when we were 17, 18, 19 years old.

Those days in Chattanooga are some of my best and favorite memories! Although we moved away from there 27 (eek! really?) years ago, it is still home because I left a big piece of my heart there.

When Lacey became Middle School age, without planning, our house became that house in our neighborhood. There were kids here all the time. Kids were here when Lacey wasn't! My heart was here and it was home!

Lacey's Freshman year at college, kids came home with her even for an hour! Kids would come to the car when we would visit Lacey to say hi and I hope to help ease that homesickness.

Tonight, My heart is in Haiti and I wish I was HOME! I find my heart in Haiti a lot! I find myself wanting to be home, to my family that welcomed me a long time ago, no questions asked.. I love seeing Francius Joseph! We grew up together. Despite cultural and language differences we are so much like brother and sister! Our greeting always starts with me saying he has a big head and him saying something back to me and then laughing and hugging. I love the first hugs from my kids.

Tonight is a little different. Francius called me with urgent news that 7 of our kids at the Jesus Loves Me Home have the Chikungunya virus. This virus is not deadly, I know they will be ok. This virus is carried by mosquitoes. It causes fever, vomiting and painful joints. I've heard the pain in the joints is so bad that you cannot move. I want to be home to hold my babies. I want to be there to try to make them feel better. Our two youngest and two 6 year olds are the worst and have gone to the hospital. They have been vomiting and have not been able to eat for a few days. Please pray for all the kids sick with this, but especially for the 4 littlest babies.