Wildflower Writes

Photo by  Rohit Tandon  on  Unsplash I have a painting on my wall. My son created it to accompany his Bob Ross costume last Halloween. And yes, it has happy trees. And mountains framing a waterfall. When I look at it, there’s something I’ve heard described as homesickness for places one has never been. The German word for it is “fernweh.” I’ve lived in three midwestern states. There’s always been woods to explore, but no mountains. Every time I’ve been on a trip through mountains, there’s a sense of wonder and mystery and curiosity. When I traveled to Colorado on a school trip, I climbed every rock I could. Every time I got to a peak, there was a higher peak to climb. It should have been discouraging, to never reach the top. At the time, it was amazing. I thought I had seen the whole picture, but it was just the beginning, just a limited view of the larger landscape. I used to think the goal was to “have it all together.” I believed once I had reached certain mile...

I had a blessed Christmas Day. I was able to spend time with the people who mean the most to me. I received some very nice things from my doting husband, and my kids were great. I think my parents would have liked us to stay at their house longer, but I was tired and just wanted to be home (which is ironic, since that was  my home for 18 years). I longed for the comfort of my own pillow and jammy pants and relative quiet. I think sometimes that's what heaven is like. We are enjoying ourselves where we are, and we feel at home, but there's a longing for something more comfortable, more basic, more ideal. It's like the song sung by Buddy Greene: I don't belong and I'm going someday, home to my own native land...I've always known, this place ain't home, and I don't belong.  I find deep joy in knowing that this isn't all there is. As much as I enjoy the pleasures of Earth- the fascinating people, the smell of coffee, the taste of chocolate, the c...