The Places I've Called Home

I've been a gypsy for most of my life, flitting from one community to another.

Since preschool, I've been the type of person who's had friends from different groups but never belonged to a single group myself. My wandering ways have come to nag me more over the past four years - transferring from Emory, letting go of precious connections summer after summer, struggling to find a Christian community semester after semester.

Aside from my family and a handful of dear friends who live across the country (or world), I have often lacked stability in my present bearings. Knowing I have a Savior as my unchanging Rock amidst constant turnover grounds me, but this truth doesn't always change how I feel. Feeling lonely is at an odd tension with my inherent independence; I'm reminded that despite my cravings for quietness and my knack for entertaining myself, I wasn't created to keep myself company forever.

I've known that "home" doesn't have to refer to a physical place, but floundering from here and there has further taught me that "home" doesn't have to be singular. We can have multiple homes, each for a different period of time. These homes can be places or people, but a common thread unites mine: my "homes" relax my tense, uptight being. I feel comfortable, safe, at home.

I'm leaving most of my current homes soon. While I'm ready to welcome a fresh start, I'm reluctant to go through the work of making a home (or many homes) again. Yet as I think through the homes I've had, the gratitude that wells up confirms how worthwhile the effort is. Here's to the places I've called home, to the spaces that have helped me allow myself to be who I am.

1. Mercer Lake: growing up, my parents were always away at work and I couldn't go very far without a driver's license. Humble Mercer Lake was my go-to biking spot and backdrop for photoshoots with friends. Today, it continues to be the body of water that calms me. It's unchanging in a little town that undergoes renovation between school breaks.

2. My kitchen: this is where I watched Grandpa cook for years, learned to cook an omelette, failed to bake cookies, broke many dishes, and spent hours photographing in. All other kitchens, past and future, no matter how aesthetically pleasing and well-stocked, pale in comparison.

3. My hometown library: tiny as it may be, I'm more likely to find the books I want to read at my home library than at any of the 20 libraries Cornell boasts. There's nothing like walking in and seeing the train in the children's section that my brother and I used to spend hours reading in. This library is another unchanging piece of my past that I'm eager to come home to, and I'm happier here than at any of the nearby, sleeker libraries.

4. Lullwater Park: call me crazy, but I'd run the main loop over and over again because no other running trail made me as happy. I came here nearly everyday my freshman year, rain or shine. Lullwater meant so much that I even carved my name into a tree before leaving.

5. This sacred spot (photographed) will remain nameless because it's too precious to be popularized. Sunrise, sunset, fall, spring - it's a beauty no matter when you go. It's a place of serenity.

6. Cornell's Nutrition Department: I'm lucky to have found a study that thrills me to the bones. I love being able to walk through the halls of Savage and make conversation with classmates and faculty. The department that once felt so foreign and intimidating is now familiar and intimate.

7. Bethel Grove Bible Church: the #1 thing I'll miss most when I leave Ithaca is BG. I had a rough start here, but the effort spent getting involved and connecting with the congregation outside of the college students who arrive en masse has been beyond meaningful. There's no other place I'd rather spend 5-6 hours at each Sunday, even if that means waking up at 7 am. The love this church has for local and global communities is awe-inspiring. It's here that I've tested the foundations of my faith and been challenged to make others feel desired. The family I have here has made every hill getting to and in Ithaca worthwhile.