Just 5 Little Words

“Home is where the heart is”, “Home, Sweet Home” both phrases are common. But what is a home?

Almost 4 years ago I relocated my mom from her home to here. The previous 73yrs Michigan had been the only place she had ever lived. She endured the extreme cold and feet of snow every winter, the high heat and humidity every summer. All that doesn’t change a thing in her heart, it will always be home.

While a residential dwelling is often referred to as a "home," the concept of home is broader than a physical dwelling. Home is often a place of refuge and safety, where worldly cares fade and the things and people that one loves becomes the focus.

Today I was with my mom as we prepare to move her to her 3rd residence in less than 4 years. My mom doesn’t share much of what she if feeling. She tends to just go with the flow, on the outside at least. During that interview she was asked to write any phrase or sentence that came to mind. She wrote 5 little words that had so much power and completely described the impact of what was happening to her.

She has Parkinson’s disease and every day she loses just a little more of that ability to control her body. She keeps being socially engaged in anything she possibly can. To take her outside and allow her to sit in the sun and enjoy the fresh air or to be able to listen to or sing along to music are the things that she enjoys most now.

That phrase, I want to go home.