Home makes me think of my family and friends back in England. Memories of mince pies and mulled wine. Thoughts of cups of tea and eating lamb on Good Friday. My dad doing the daily crossword puzzle. My mum baking homemade pies. My brother winding me up to no end…ahh beautiful memories!

For me, home is a beautiful thought of being with my family.

My Mother is Welsh and in the Welsh language we have a word that I think beautifully encapsulates what home means to me. Cwtch is the Welsh word for an affectionate hug. There is no literal English translation, but its nearest equivalent is “safe place.” So, a cwtch is an affectionate hug that makes you feel safe.

This to me is what home means.

England or Canada?

I married a Canadian and moved to Canada two years and two months ago. Now what does home look like? It has taken on an entirely different meaning.

This is something I have honestly struggled with.

I now find myself calling two places home and meaning contrasting things by the word. It took me quite a while to adjust to the idea. How can I have more than one home? I yearn for England and my family every day. Yet when I was in England this summer, I missed the people and my home here in Abby.

I find myself in a juxtaposition of yearning for whichever country I am currently not in!

A New Yearning

Over the last year or so, the Lord has revealed something of my heart to me. I don’t yearn for heaven, my eternal, truest home, in the same way I yearn for my temporary homes here. I desire to be with my family, but I hardly spend any time pondering and marveling at spending eternity with my Lord and Saviour and my spiritual family.

The greatest and truest treasure awaits me in heaven…that is something worth yearning for.

Thanksgiving is a time when we are called to reflect on all the things we can be thankful for. As I spend time this season reflecting, I find myself yearning more and more for my future perfect home, where there will be no more crying, no more mourning, no more tears, no more separation from family and friends. We shall be in our safe place. Forever.