Far From Home

My niece Libbie and her fiance Raupyea are in Maine visiting this week... Lib has graduated from college and also done some special schools before going to Korea. She and Raupyea are spending time together getting to know one another's families better, as they plan their wedding and their future together. They'll both be stationed in Texas soon.
My nephew Sam and his wife Jess will be in Texas as well. Sam is in Iraq right now, and we'll be quite happy when he's back 'home' in the States. Jess is getting their new home ready for Sam's arrival.
Sam's brother Ryan will soon be 'home' with his wife Natsch in Germany... Ryan is also in the middle east right now, and has taken his wife's native land as his adopted 'home'.
When I think about home, sometimes it's an image of the house I live in, or the yard I tend. Sometimes, it's the people I share space with daily... a husband, children, friends depending on what space of time I'm referencing. And, sometimes 'home' is a place in my heart where I hold loved ones close... where I create nurturing and safety.
Sam, Ryan and Libbie have been really far from a physical home with their birth families... and even far from their loved ones emotionally at times. But, when it comes right down to it, they have a home in their hearts that is connected to all of us back here in Maine. My children... Jen, Toby and Bryan... have all experienced this being away physically but still being spiritually connected to those of us at the home fires. And there are times when, although I've always called Maine 'home' I have actually felt somewhat disconnected from things around me.
Today however, I feel very much Close to Home with my family, and I wish all the best to Lib and Raupyea as they travel back to New York and beyond... that they each take with them a small piece of 'home' here in Maine.
Far From Home is a really nice tune you can find in the Portland Collection Volume One.