Home Is Where the Heart Is

Please read this heartfelt and very wise post brought to us by the gorgeous and ever fabulous Skinnie Piggie.

"We've all heard it, seen it posted somewhere, heck many of us may have a pretty version of it hanging on our wall! As much as I like this saying, sometimes being a military wife we need another saying to preface it.

So... let's take a mini-trip down memory lane (mine that is, unless you just so happened to be in San Francisco sometime in April of 2009). I was still doing my internship in NorCal for the Coast Guard, what you didn't know? It's okay most people don't have a clue. I worked for the MWR from January-May of 2009, my final senior internship for my Recreation degree from Arizona State University-I miss that job! Any way back to our trip, my sister flew in towards the end of my internship and we spent a quick weekend being tourists in San Fran and the surrounding areas. It was so much fun, we took hundreds of pictures,
rode the cable cars, walked down Lombard St., explored China Town, enjoyed Pier 39 and Ghirardelli Square, and even went salsa dancing after making a quick purchase of some dress flats from Payless (no tennis shoes allowed in the club).

Now I'm sure all of you are staring at your
computer screen wondering how on earth
this is suppose to relate to
"home is where the heart is."
Don't worry I'm getting
there!

We made very little purchases while we were there, lack of money was one reason the other is that we've never been very materialistic, and photos are our best souvenirs from trips. However, while we were in China Town there was a set of hand painted prints I just couldn't pass up.

 Honor. Courage. Dream. Where ever you may go, go with all your heart.

These all mean a lot to my husband and I, we have them hanging in our bedroom in a place we can see them every morning when we wake up. The first three are very important... but did you catch that last one? I mean did you really capture it's significance?

Where ever you may go, go with all your heart.

Ladies... we move (a lot), I've done it, you've done it, we'll keep doing it. It's the military way of life. But we have to remember to truly invest ourselves in our new locations- make friends, find a church and volunteer, actually learn your neighbors names, try to have an open fridge house... this something my mom taught me. You visit my house once and I will serve you a drink, snacks, maybe even dinner. The second time you come, "you're home," please help yourself. I feel as though after a move we sometimes become "shut-ins." Not in the sense that we sit in our house all day, but rather that we shut others out for fear of being hurt (again). I know the sadness of saying goodbye to family, friends, loved ones. But, we can't let this fear mold our lives... we need to live our lives to the fullest! Be yourself,
accept invitations, you never know who will be placed in your life for that short season, or who you will have a positive affect on.

"There is a time for
everything,
for every activity under heaven."
~Ecclesiastes 3:1

So don't forget that where ever you may go in your journey of life, to go with all your heart!"