I hope & trust this post finds you all having a great day on this chilly Friday morning on the Texas Gulf Coast!
This week my Chocolate Lab, Lexus, taught me a valuable lesson...or reminded me. I absolutely adore this dog!!! My Beautiful Bride says I don't think she does anything wrong. I am sure there is something I think she did wrong at some point, I just don't remember it right now! :)
On Tuesday night Kath pointed out that there is a spot on the couch that is Lexus' spot, right by the reclining chair. She always lays there, her head lifted up on the edge of the couch so she can see what we are all doing in the kitchen.
Wednesday morning I let our precious Beagle, Chloe, in and then of course our rambunctious puppy Lexus. After finishing my morning coffee and reading I went to the living room however Lexus wasn't in "her spot." No, she was on the completely other side of the couch, curled up in a ball. When I walked over there I found that she was perfectly curled around Chloe who was laying under a blanket. Lexus' spot? Well you see, Chloe is always laying in that reclining chair that Lexus lays next to when in "her spot." On Wednesday morning her spot changed because Chloe wasn't there. It then hit me, her spot is wherever Chloe is!
Yesterday morning, while listening to the radio during my morning reading, the DJ's were talking about small churches vs. mega churches. Most of the callers were talking about how small churches are better because they feel connected, know people, etc. Then a lady called in and said that she went to a mega church and that she felt at home. She then noted that it is the relationships that make it feel like a home, not the size of the church.
Do you remember the TV show "Cheers"? O.K., I am dating myself here. It was a sitcom in the 80's, set in a Boston bar. There are lyrics to the theme song that have come to my mind, I will find myself randomly singing them, a number of times over the years. Here they are:
"Sometimes you wanna go.
Where everybody know your name
And they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
The troubles are all the same.
You wanna be where everybody knows your name"
I also feel compelled to share that if you, like me, believe in God and Heaven then you know that this life is not home. There is a God who created us on purpose for a purpose for which He has gift us perfectly, who sent His son Jesus to die for our sins so that we can go back home, who not only knows our names, thoughts, worries & fears but also has every hair on our heads numbered! And just like Lexus with Chloe, the lady at church and the desire of all of us to go where people know our names, God wants to have a relationship with us!
You see Friends, home isn't about a location or a structure. It is about the people who are in your life, wherever you are. You could live in the biggest, most beautiful mansion in the prettiest location and be homeless. And you can live in a cardboard box with people you love, and who love you, deeply and have the most beautiful home. If you don't feel love & warmth in your home, don't look to change the location or structure, look to strengthen & deepen your relationships. It is in these, the people you love & who love you, where the love & warmth of home will be found.
I am going to close with a few quotes for you:
"Home is people. Not a place. If you go back there after the people are gone, then all you can see is what is not there any more." - Robin Hobb
"Home wasn't a set house, or a single town on a map. It was wherever the people who loved you were, whenever you were together. Not a place, but a moment, and then another, building on each other like bricks to create a solid shelter that you take with you for your entire life, wherever you may go." - Sarah Dessen
"The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned." - Maya Angelou
"I don't care if we have our house, or a cliff ledge, or a cardboard box. Home is wherever we all are, together." - James Patterson
"No other success can compensate for failure in the home." - J.E. McCulloch
Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families.
Kev
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