oikonomos

As a graduate school student in “middle Tennessee” - - we could call it "central," but don’t get me started on that tangent - - and as a woman likely to be dressed in black, speaking with a sharp accent, I am often asked, “Kate, where is home?” My answer varies depending on my mood. The response I am most comfortable with is some variation of, “Well, my parents live in California, but I grew up in New York state, and I lived in DC for nine years, off and on, usually on.” The question, “where is home?” resonates initially as a geographic concern, but there are other aspects to take into account.

Robert Frost said that Home is where they have to take you in. Others have said that Home is where everybody knows your name. And your name is just a symbol for your story, so Home is a place where everybody knows your story. Home is a place where you can count on being confronted, loved, and hoped for. Home is where there is a place at the family table for you, for sharing and conversation. Home is where the storytelling happens. Family meals are where people gather to tell their stories.

God was the first homemaker by creating this world for God’s people and God’s work, therefore, Home could be described as a place where there is access to the conditions of life.

I spent this Thanksgiving at Home with my dear friend Angela, and her family Emily, Wayne, Eric, and Anna. It was good to be Home.