Home

I used to believe that “home is where you hang your hat”. This is what my grandfather always said. I believed this because, as a child and a young adult that was home. My home was where my parents moved with my three sisters and me. Home was where I followed my (then) husband, time after time. Home was a place to sleep, a place to eat, and where I kept my things. Home was where I hung my hat.

I no longer believe this.

Since moving to Richmond nearly six years ago, I have seen many changes in my life. Changes I never could have imagined a decade ago. I have remarried, I have given birth to my daughter, and I have reenrolled in college.

My husband. My other half. My companion, my support, my best friend. He gave love and support when I felt like I didn’t deserve it. He made me see that I did. He gave me the confidence I needed to return to school after more than a decade of feeling I wasn’t good enough, smart enough, or special enough to make it. He is my home.

My daughter and my two sons. My joy. My most difficult but most fulfilling challenge, and the loves of my life. These beautiful young children are my soul mates. They, above all others, are the ones with whom I am meant to spend my life. I watch them grow and change. I watch them learn, succeed, and sometimes fail. I help them pick up their pieces and I kiss their wounds. I learn more from them than I ever could from any book. They are my home.

My other learning experience. Where I try to pin down my hopes and my dreams. The place I go every week to drill knowledge into my head. I have learned more at EKU than I ever could have imagined. I have met some of the most wonderful and supportive people of my life. I have made what I am sure will be life long friends, and those who will be life long role models. I have learned what I want to be when I grow up. Most importantly, I have learned my self worth. My educational home.

Home is no longer just a place to hang my hat. Home is a place where there are friends wherever I go. It is a place where my dreams, hopes, love, and spirit are alive, where they thrive. This is home. This I believe.