Homesickness Washed Away

When a recent visit to my mom‘s turned into a two month stay that seemed like it could go on indefinitely, I begin to feel very homesick. I knew that to be homesick was certainly a wrong false emotion, and as hymn number, 279 says “Home and heaven are within you.” I began to ponder this deeply and recognized that the Truth of the matter was that home and everything about it are qualities of God and not a locale. If Home and Heaven are within you, that means there is no place that you could be that does not include all of the wonderful qualities of safety and comfort, beauty and peace. A recent Unity Watch pointed out that there is no place to be desired above another place. If Home and Heaven are within you, this includes harmony wherever you are, its not about a particular structure or a set of certain people known as your family and friends that give you joy. You have all of this within you as your birthright! As I begin to accept this and not allow myself to indulge in self-pity, I realized that, however long I had to stay, there was a blessing and great lessons to come out of it, and in the meantime, I would serve God by lovingly helping my mom with whatever she needed.

It was decided that we would return north in June as my mother was very certainly not wanting to travel to New Hampshire in the wintertime. In the meantime, I would plan to go home alone in the middle of March to take care of some business and return south after a week or two. Only a few short days later, the homesickness washed away and I began to feel stronger and stronger about staying in the “now” of the situation; listening for God’s direction and being grateful every day in all of the little things. spoke to me. I am grateful that I had the support at home to be able to stay with my mom for as long as was needed. In fact, I began to get used to the idea of living somewhere else for a season, and then my mother announced one morning that she would like to return north with me in the middle of March. She very happily stated that she would come for six months! It seemed that God had it all worked out, and just as I was discovering that Home was within me, my mother was doing the same. Our trip north was very harmonious and we are both happy to know that the Father’s House is where we each want to stay. I am grateful for all that God Is, for Christ Jesus and his loving example, Mary Baker Eddy and the wonderful Science of Christianity that she gave us, and for the Plainfield church and their mission to give Christian Science to the world. Lastly, I am so grateful for all of the beautiful testimonies each week and for the hymns, that are so full of healing. I love Hymn # 279, “Pilgrim on earth, home and heaven are within thee …heir of the ages and child of the day. Cared for, watched over, beloved and protected. Walk thou with courage, each step of the way.”