Home
Dad came in for lunch and said, “We’re going home!”
Six-year-old Ruth replied, “But I don’t want to go ‘home’! I am home. This is the only place I remember.”
As Dad joined them at the table, they all bowed their heads. He thanked God for the food and their time together on the weekend.
After the “Amen” eight-year-old Paul said, “I don’t want to go ‘home’ either. I kind of remember what it was like before we came here. But that doesn’t seem like home any more. You know what? This place doesn’t seem like home either. I don’t think anywhere is home to me.”
Picking up a slice of bread to make a sandwich, eleven-year-old Esther added, “I remember what it was like before. But it’s like home to me there too. I have two homes, one here and one there.”
Between bites Dan, Esther’s twin brother, said, “I know what you mean, Dad. I want to go home, too. It’s OK here, but home is even better.”
“Wow!” said Ruth. “All of us kids have different homes. The only home that’s the same as Dad’s is Dan’s. What about you, Mom? Where is home for you?”
“I grew up like you kids,” said Mom, pouring some milk into Paul’s glass. “But I lived in three different countries instead of two. For me home is where my family is. Right now we’re here, so home is here. When we go where Dad and Dan call home, that will be home then because we’ll all be there.
“When I said we were going home, I didn’t realize you would all think of different things,” Dad said. “For me there is just one home. That’s where I lived all my life until we came here. You all are different. What do you mean by home? What does home feel like?”
Laying her sandwich on her plate, Esther spoke up, “When I am home, I feel safe, like nothing bad will happen. I also feel at home when I know what will happen, when things are predictable. I am not afraid here, and I’m not afraid where we lived before we came.”
“When Dad and Mom watch news on CNN, it seems like it’s really dangerous where we came from,” said Paul with a frown. “There are always shootings and tornadoes—people dying. I wouldn’t feel safe or at home there.”
“It just seems that way because reporters look for unusual things that will get people’s attention. Those things don’t happen very often. Things that happen every day don’t get people to watch,” explained Dad.
“Right,” said Mom pointing at the TV in the living room. “Remember the times that the country we’re in has been mentioned on BBC World News. There have been riots in the capital, earthquakes in the mountains, and some other things that, living in this town, we have never seen.”
“What about identity theft?” asked Ruth with a worried look on her face. “I heard them say on CNN last week that millions and millions of people have had their identity stolen. That happens every day all over the country. I don’t want someone to steal my identity. If they did, I wouldn’t know who I was! Who would want to live there?”
“That’s silly!” said Esther laughing.
“OK, Esther. That’s enough,” said Dad. “Ruth just doesn’t understand what identity theft is. Please explain it to her.”
“Sure,” said Esther as she picked up a brownie. “Ruth, when someone steals your identity, they just pretend to be you. You still know who you are. It’s like when you play house and pretend to be Mom. She still knows who she is.
“Now, getting back to feeling at home. I feel at home when I know how to do things and know what to expect from other people.”
“I agree,” said Dan leaning back in his chair. “Then I feel comfortable, and I relax. Then I can just be myself and don’t have to pretend. I don’t feel at home when Mom and Dad say to be careful how you act so that you don’t do anything that will offend people. Sometime I just don’t feel like being ‘good.’ I just want to do silly stuff and have fun. When I can do that, I feel at home.”
“Well,” said Dad as he put down his cup. “We have had a good lunch. We have different ways of thinking about home. To make sure we understand each other let’s use the term ‘passport country’ for the place we came from and the term ‘host country’ for where we live now. We’re guests here, and the people are our hosts. Now I need to get out on the back porch and paint that table. I’d love to have some company out there while I’m painting if some of you don’t have plans.”
Things to do and think about
1. Mark on a world map where you are right now.
2. Mark on the map where you are going. If you don’t have a map, you (or your parents) can get one free online. Go to http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/pdf/world_country.pdf .
3. Label which country is your passport country.
4. Label which one is your host country.
5. Draw your route home on the map. It may be just one straight line. It may be several lines through different cities.
6. Where is home? (Unscramble the boldface words.)
· Ruth said her shot ______ country was home.
· Dan and Dad said their tapsrops ____________ country was home.
· Esther said both her tosh _______ country and her sapprots _____________ country were home.
· Paul said therein __________ country was home.
· Mom said home was not a country but wherever her maylif __________ was.
· Where is home to you? ______________________________
7. What is home like?
· Esther said it was a place she felt fase ______ and was creditpaleb ______________ (she knew what would happen).
· Dan said it was a place he could axelr ____________ and be slimefh ________________.
· What is home like to you? _____________________________
(Remember that answers to the scrambled words are at the end of the book.)