"The House that Built Me"

It's Thursday August 28, 2014. Other than the hum of the dishwasher, my house is quiet...still...silent...hushed...as if it's keeping a secret.

This week is the last week of summer vacation for elementary, middle, and high school kids. Most college bound students are moving in or have all ready moved back to their college towns and are settling in to dorm rooms or off campus houses (I use the term "houses" loosely here!). Ready or not, the page gets turned and a new chapter begins for all.

As I drove home from Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee late Tuesday afternoon, I thought about this new chapter for me. Just twenty minutes earlier, I watched my pregnant daughter, her husband, and our beautiful 17 month old granddaughter disappear into the Delta Air Lines terminal on their way home to North Carolina. They came home to Wisconsin for a week. They spent the first half of the week in the Milwaukee area with our son-in-law's family, and the second half was spent at two weddings (one in Chicago, one in Wisconsin Dells) and then home in Kimberly. A whirlwind? You bet! Would I change any of it? Sure; I wish our sweet grand-baby wouldn't have gotten an infection requiring a trip to urgent care and a dose of antibiotics. And selfishly, I wish they could have spent the entire week here in Kimberly. The next time we see them in person, they will be a family of four! Chapter One - Baby Makes Four

Our middle son and his wife live in the Madison area and both are in their second year of their respective jobs. They are about six weeks from celebrating their first wedding anniversary. Last year at this time we were ocean deep in the planning and preparation for what would be one of the most holy, meaningful, down right fun celebrations ever! They are two young professionals who live their faith, enjoy their life, and are building a solid foundation for a lasting marriage. I feel so blessed to have gained such a wonderful daughter-in-law. Bailey is the best. She is kind, thoughtful, helpful, fun-loving, sweet, sincere, and beautiful, inside and out. God not only blessed our son Luke, He blessed us all!  Chapter Two - A Love that makes the World Go Around

Just about two weeks ago, we moved our youngest back to Madison. Our minivan was filled to the brim with everything a college guy could want to make his first apartment feel like home. In addition, we pulled a trailer loaded with furniture. It wasn't the smoothest college moving day trip we've ever made (I think we stopped 5 times to secure the load and almost lost his bike; that's material for another post!), but we got the job done. Ben will live his sophomore year in the shadow of Camp Randall Stadium and I'm pretty sure for him it doesn't get much better than that! Chapter Three - Sophomore Year

Mark and I are home, in our very quiet house. I don't think this house is keeping a secret, though. It knows, like I do, that life changes. It seems like one day we are changing our daughter's diapers and the next we are changing her daughter's diapers. One day we are standing in church with our son as he receives the Eucharist for the first time and the next we are watching him walk down the aisle as a married man. One day we are rushing off to pick up our little boy at preschool and the next we are dropping him off at college. Life changes, no doubt, and we can't stop it, no matter how hard we try. Chapter Four - Change

I titled this post after the song with the same name by Miranda Lambert (You can listen to it via the link below). It's one of my favorite songs because it speaks to me about home. I believe that in the midst of change, you can always come home. And home isn't necessarily the house where you grew up or where you live. Home is your people, your family, those you love and those who love you unconditionally. Home can be that quiet place inside where you know you are strong, worthy, and loved. It's that place where you will be okay; that place where you can fall and fail and know that through all the change life brings, you've got this, and it will be alright. Chapter Five - Home

Our beautiful family...my home!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQYNM6SjD_o