Chanukah 2011

When someone asks,  “Where is your home,”  what do you imagine?  Do you think of your street address -- the four walls that protect your family and treasures?  If you open your mental door wider and peek inside, you may discover that the essence of home – comfort, familiarity and commonality -- exists in many different ways. 

We find the essence of home in our relationships, through our connections with family, friends and loved ones. A sense of home can arise as we drive the streets of our neighborhood, enter our workspace or sit quietly in the sanctuary where we gather for introspection. We can find home in our perspectives, values and worldview. For some, the ancient sacred writings, a simple walk, or time on the yoga mat grounds us in a spiritual home.

Your feelings are the messengers of your deepest desires. When you attend to those messages, home is where the heart is!  Your body is the home of your soul, that unique spark of the divine that fires our passions and connects us to the beauty within. Home is in our senses: the comforting smell of simmering soup on a rainy day, the familiar songs of a cherished holiday, the exchange of glances that signal a shared knowledge. 

You can find home in the past, the future, or the present.  Your thoughts might be resting in the past, as you review and relive moments that have enchanted or challenged. Maybe you are dwelling in the future, planning and awaiting times to come. Or, like our ancestor Abraham when called upon by the Eternal, you respond, "Hineni, Here I am,” choosing to live with awareness in each moment as it arises.   

Regardless of where you are in any moment, you are the homebuilder of your life through the choices you make.  Perhaps those wistful moments born of a hurried schedule and an endless to–do list are just symptoms of homesickness, reminders to choose differently. In the midst of chaos, how might you nurture those homey places in your life and reconnect to what feels familiar, restful and supportive? 

May this season of giving and blessing find a home in you.  May the light of your offerings be wholehearted and wise, and wherever you are, may the essence of home surround you.