OUR HEARTS CAN REST AT HOME

“My grandmother,” I said in a low tone, “would have said that we were all in exile, and that no earthly house could cure the holy home-sickness that forbids us rest.”                                                                                              (G.K. Chesterton, Manalive)                                                                                                           

I just returned from a weekend of speaking at a women’s retreat in the wooded surroundings of Cypress Hills Park (Saskatchewan). Preparing and delivering the three presentations was a pleasure–and I continue to learn about how my heart can rest from its wanderings, spiritually at home. In this series, I considered the following definitions:

• HOMELINESS: The cozy, intimate sense of peaceful domesticity, where one is known and loved
• HOMELESS HOMESICKNESS: The rootless, ungrounded condition of the displaced wanderer gone astray, possessing no dwelling or place of security but only hopeless heartache and inner longing for a far-off household
• HOMECOMING: The joyous return to the hospitable haven of the hearth and home to which one belongs

My cheering section accompanied me (daughter, niece, sister-in-law) and sat in the front row of the roomful (40+) of ladies, laughing and nodding appropriately. On Sunday morning in the sharing time, one of the younger retreat attendees–a newlywed–mentioned that my talks had given her the words she needed to pass along encouragement to her husband. Another woman said that she’d had an aha! moment in the middle of my second session. This type of commentary confirms not that I speak well but that my point is getting across. I care about the message more than the method; that is, the content of my talks is much more important than the way I speak. But I know that, for me to make the content accessible, I must hone communication skills. It’s a fun challenge!