Home is where...?

Being new to this whole world of blogging, I'm having a hard time figuring out what to post. My desire is to share my life with people who love me but aren't necessarily around to witness my life. Does that mean that I sit down every morning and recount the previous day's activities (I slept in, took my car to get fixed, visited with my grandma, hung out at home, worked a bit, picked up my car, spent time with my brother, had coffee with a friend, spent more time with my brother and went to bed.)? Something tells me that just doesn't do it. As I think about what I love to read in my friend's blogs, it's more the heart that I care about. I called this blog Genuine for a reason, and while I did genuinely do all those things yesterday, that's not the point.

So, here's a little something genuine from my heart...

I love being home for Christmas. I love that my job allows me to take time to be with my family in Gilbert for more than just the days immediately surrounding Christmas. I love that even with my older sister moving to Seattle and my younger sister getting married, I was able to spend Christmas with my whole family this year. And, I recognize that that won't always be the case, so I treasure it even more. Yet, I find I'm feeling a tug...

For my entire college career, I refused to call Tucson my home. Tucson was where I went to school, but Gilbert was where I was born and raised; Gilbert was home. However, it started to sink in several months ago that Tucson has all the makings of home for me. I've lived there for 5 1/2 years, I have a house there, my job is there, my driver's license says I live there, and I'm registered to vote there. Yet even more than all those things is that I have a community of people there with whom I love to live life. God has given me sweet relationships with friends who are committed to me, and to whom I am committed. And while nothing can or ever will take the place of my family, I find myself in a new phase of life where I can finally call Tucson "home".

So, after being with my family for 3 weeks, it's time for me to go home.