Thankful for HOME

Today I begin a 22 day countdown to one of my favorite holidays... Thanksgiving!  And what better way to countdown than to recognize a few of the countless things I have to be thankful for.  Today I'm beginning with HOME.  I am thankful for home because that's where "family" happens, where we nurture each other, where we are most vulnerable and most comfortable.  
As a Mom, this is so important to me to make sure home is a good place for my family to come to at the end of a long day, that it is a safe place filled with joy and laughter and rest.  I take my job of creating this home very seriously.  
This year, our housing situation has been in a bit of an upheaval.  We knew in the spring we were moving to TX, so we began the process of sorting and trashing and packing.  For many weeks our house in MO was "out-of-sorts".  Games, books, toys, and so much more were all packed away.  Our trampoline had been vandalized and we didn't rush to repair it because we were moving.  There were many days our kids had to stretch their imaginations to find something to do.  
Between trips to TX to look at houses, planned vacations, and unexpected trips to TX when my Dad died, we spent many nights in hotels.  But nothing quite like our extended hotel stay when we actually moved down here and our house wasn't ready.  We spent almost four weeks at Homewood Suites (which is a fantastic place if you have to be somewhere that long).  During that time, I longed for home, for the feeling of security and comfort, consistency and familiarity.  I longed for a place to go to at the end of the day and snuggle in and call HOME.  
Well, we're not completely settled by any means but we have reached a place where we can now call it HOME.  I can call it home because of the familiar comforts that fill each room of the house, because of the laughter that has seeped into the walls, because of the tears that have covered the floor, because of the love that lights up each room.  But more importantly I can call it home because of the family that lives here with me growing together, sharing together, longing for that mansion in the sky together.  I'm thankful for HOME...