The last couple of weeks have tossed me quite a few surprises. Life - what happens while you are making other plans, right? I began to feel nostalgic about simpler times and the best descriptor I could find was "homesick" for how I was feeling.
Which led me to wonder about the definition of "home." Sure, it's a building, it's got all your stuff in it, it's your own identifiable space that separates you from everyone else in your neighborhood, it's your domicile. You also use the term to describe the town in which you live or where you grew up.
"House" and "home" are often used interchangeably, but we note that a house requires a building of some sort, while a home does not. "Homesickness" is defined by Merriam Webster as "longing for home and family while separated from them."
What if your home or your home town doesn't even exist anymore? For thousands, no millions, of people this is the case. Our ancestors could have been "refugees" in the same sense as the people currently seeking new homes and futures outside of the horrors in their homelands in Haiti, Africa, and Latin America. They left their homes with next to nothing, risking everything, to find a new future here. The pursuit of the American Dream persists from 1620-2022!
I have researched some families and found some return visits in the passenger lists, that appear to be for the purpose of taking the new American children back home to meet their grandparents in Eastern Europe. My client's family were among the lucky ones able to find their roots and are pursuing arrangements to meet their cousins!
We moved so often as a child that I never felt any attachment to any
physical building as "home." When I find myself missing home and happier times those memories are about gatherings with friends and families. As times and locations change, some of the faces did too. I carry my home in my heart, it's always with me!
I am reminded of the secret of the Ruby Slippers and the Wizard of Oz, “If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with.”
With the coming of Fall, let's take time to pause and reflect upon where we came from, where our ancestors came from, and what we have as collective families put together over the generations. What values did your ancestors impart to you?
Let's count our blessings! I am grateful everyday for a safe home, food on the table, family and friends, my education, and the special blessing of being able
to do what I love, Genealogy, and share it with people like you.
I wish you Peace and Joy in this coming week and for the upcoming Holiday Season. Please do share your own thoughts, memories, or questions. Don't forget, I'm always eager to take a look at your tree for a free quote.
Thank you,
Leslie Ryan
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