Homeless

"A house is made of bricks and stone,

A home is made of love alone"

    - Author Unknown

Homeless (Michael McLean)
(From: The Forgotten Carols)

Homeless, homeless
Like the Christ child was.
Homeless, homeless
But there is hope because
He came down to Earth to lead us,
He vowed he'd never leave us
Homeless, homeless,
For in His love there is a home.

Homeless, homeless,
was His humble birth.
Homeless, homeless,
and still He changed the Earth.
Nothing kept his heart from giving,
Though most of His life was living
Homeless, Homeless,
He showed it's how we live, not where.
When His homeless days on Earth were done
He went home to where we all came from.
And he went to prepare.
A mansion for us there.

He gave His whole life to lead us
And I know He'll never leave us
Homeless
For in His love there's a home.
We are not homeless.
There is a home.

  
      For a Christmas present my first Christmas away from "home", my mother sent me the Mormon Tabernacle Choir vassette tape of their album "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (no subliminal messages there, and yes, I'm dating myself ;-)). She knew how much I would be missing being "home" for Christmas that year. The first Christmas "home" to Utah after our move, I was introduced to this song by Michael Mclean. I instantly was enchanted by the words to this song. Particularly, because they could be related to such a variety of life experiences.

      I have relocated many times during my married life.  It has only been in the last 13 years of our almost 26 year marriage that we have lived in the same home. So, I know a little bit about relocating and feeling "homeless" at times. Usually these moves were meant to better our situation, either with a new job, further schooling or to change to a new environment. For a while we kept trying to find the "perfect location" where we could be happy. One day I finally came to realize that it's not about where you live, it's about how you live that matters most. Once I realized this, the moves stopped and the "real work" of building a joyful, happy life together really began. I don't know why it is that we always tend to look outside of ourselves to find the solutions to so many of our life challenges. We have a choice as to what we will focus on and how we will let it effect us. Some of the greatest growth comes as we learn to manage trials and find workable solutions, and still manage to be moderately happy.   Sometimes the answers are found in changing our current living situation, sometimes the answers are a matter of trusting God and His plan for us, and often the answers are found within each of us and how we choose to live our lives.

  Over the years this song had taken on new meanings for me. One Christmas that stands out in particular to me was the year after my father died.  Earlier in that year my sister and I had sold our childhood home. My son had just recently left home to serve a two-year mission for our church. I was missing him and feeling the losses through extreme loneliness. The words to this song had new meaning for me that Christmas. I realized that even though I no longer had my childhood home to return to, I wasn't really homeless. Christ never really had a home in his adult life, yet he managed to build a life of love and service that set an example that millions still follow today. Even though my son was away from home, living "as a stranger in a strange land", he wasn't homeless because he had the love of Our Heavenly Father and the example of His Son, Jesus Christ to guide him. I realized that even though I know longer had a "home" to return to, my parents had given me a firm foundation upon which to build and carry on my life.

     This year neither my son, nor my daughter will be able to be "home for Christmas" this year.  The past few years have brought a lot of changes to our family dynamics. Through it all I have I have learned that God knows us and our circumstances, that He loves us and will be there to help and guide us, and that "in His love there is a home" and so we are not truly ever "homeless". We may not be able to all be together physically for Christmas this year, but we will be together in our thoughts, our memories of Christmases past and in our hearts.  If "home is where the heart is" then the the heart is always home for Christmas.... "if only in [our] dreams".

I'll Be Home for Christmas (Michael Buble')
http://youtu.be/E4aA_K2MF5E