When I grew up, my father was an Air Force pilot and I followed him on his assignments around the world. The summer after I graduated from high school in Germany, my family returned to the states on an ocean liner. I still recall how I felt that morning at dawn when our ship entered New York harbor, passing the Statue of Liberty: I was coming home.
In the many years since the statue arrived in this country in 1886, hundreds of thousands of people have been welcomed by Lady Liberty, feeling a sense of coming home to comfort, shelter, and new possibilities.
As the words of poet Emma Lazarus (1903), inscribed on the statue's pedestal, declare:
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
. . .Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
In today's tumultuous times, it's often hard to feel at home. Many of us have lost the vital sense of belonging (Samuel, 2022), feeling distressed, isolated, and disconnected (Taylor, 2022).
If you've been missing a sense of home, take a moment now to:
Recall a time when you felt at home.
Connect with a comforting memory of that time.
Where were you? What did it look like? Who was there with you?
Bring that feeling to mind again.
Feel yourself comforted, connected to a deep sense of home and belonging.
Focusing on your heart, take a deep mindful breath and slowly release it, taking in that feeling of coming home.
Then, when you're ready, return to the present moment.
In the days to come, keep that feeling in mind. Ask how you can come home more often—perhaps by returning to a familiar spiritual tradition, pausing for a mindful sense of presence or expressing gratitude for the gifts and blessings of each day.
I wish you joy, peace, and a deep sense of home.
References
Lazarus, E. (1903). "The New Colossus." On the plaque at the Statue of Liberty. Public domain.
Samuel, K. (2022). Belonging: Finding connection in an age of isolation. New York, NY: Abrams Press.
Taylor, S. (2022). Disconnected: The roots of human cruelty and how connection can heal the world. Alresford, UK: John Hunt Publishing.