Home

I realized something about myself yesterday. While I am out and about, if I see someone wearing a UT sweatshirt or a Dallas Cowboys hat, I smile. What I realized is that I am not smiling because I am a huge Longhorn or Cowboy fan, but because seeing those emblems on t-shirts and hats reminds me of home.

I lived in Texas all of my life. Moving to Washington State was my first out of state move (and of course I picked the farthest place, too). So it is nice to have little reminders of the Lone Star State.

The other day I was walking out of the grocery store wearing a sweatshirt bearing my Alma Mater's name--TCU. A man walking behind me said, "TCU--are you a horned frog?" I was stunned. I said, "I am...are you a Texan?" He said, "No I'm not, but my brother is...he lives in Corpus Christi, TX." I was even more stunned because Corpus Christi, TX is my hometown. I smiled a lot that day.

Now don't get wrong. I love living in Washington State and am in no hurry to move back to TX. But it is nice to have little reminders of home. We get other little reminders of our eternal home, if we but look up and notice them...stop rushing around so much to realize them. God is all around us--in nature, in people, in church--giving us living things to smile about, reminding us of our home.

And it's not that we necessarily want to hurry off to that eternal home soon, but the little reminders are nice. They lift our hearts a little and let us know that there is a place for us beyond this place. If we can recognize them, they'll make a smile a whole lot.

Journey on...