Mama, Where is Home?

Where is home?
A question I have pondered many times. I have lived in three different states, moved many times and all have been my home. No matter what the location or what the walls surrounding me looked like, wherever I was, there I am.
Originally a Jersey Girl, born and raised, I do refer to my visits back to NJ as "going home to visit the besties", but if I am going for a visit with family in FL, I refer to that as "going home" for a visit. I suppose after living in NC for almost ten years, NC is my home now.
It occurred to me recently when my sons came home for a visit. The oldest had move across the country for work, the other traveling around the world with the military. Since the last time all of the children had been here, the family dynamics had changed, my four walls that I come home to everyday were different and the house in which they spent many years being raised in was no longer the same. Life had evolved and unfolded and things changed.
I was speaking with one of my boys and said that the next time he came "home" we would spent more time together. I understood this, as when I go back to places I've lived for visits, I sometimes feel pulled in many directions and time seems to never be long enough to see all of the people I want to see and do all of the things I intended to accomplish while there.  I am always grateful for those visits, but always feel like no matter how many minutes and hours I was there, there was never enough time.
So the question comes up... "Mama, where is home"?
Here is my conclusion..... Home is where you go to be with those that you carry in your heart. To be with those that have your back, where you can reminisce about times gone by, laugh at stories of where you once were and feel like you are a part of something bigger then yourself. It makes no difference of the location or the walls that surround you. It is about the feeling that stirs within you as you are amongst those that love, accept and appreciate you. To spend time with people that embrace your dreams and support your journey. To both give and receive love that is unconditional and feel the comfort of knowing you are loved without a doubt. To not have to question intentions or ulterior  motives of the precious souls surrounding you and to feel understood. To be in the embracing arms of one that loves you and feel those emotions of comfort and adoration being conveyed with a mere hug.
The saying " home is where your heart is" rings very true. That was my answer to my child as it has been from my Mother to me on many occasions when I asked, "Mama, where is home" ?
Home is the  place we carry in our hearts and minds, the memories we fondly recall and the place we go to create new memories and feel safe. No matter where I am, when we are together again, this is HOME.

Just Sayin',
Christina