Home

Home.

Merriam-Webster defines  “home” as the social unit formed by a family. It defines “family” as a group of people united by certain convictions.”

 I define “home” as a haven. A safe and calm place of peace in the hectic, and sometimes dangerous, world. I define “family” as the group pf people closest to you. That chooses to be with you. That share in your daily life.

Our home and family are very unorthodox. While JP, Little Bug, and I live in our house fulltime, we have had others that spend a great deal of time with us as well.

JP and I accepted the call of the Lord to open our home to children when me married, almost 16 years ago. Since that time, God has sent us  40 mentor kids.

Throughout the years, we have welcomed in this seemingly unending procession of kids that have come into our lives. Some have stayed for a season. Others have stayed permanently. All have been shown love, compassion, and grace.

Several have been searching. For love. For acceptance. For grace. For mercy. For Jesus.  For role models. For a place to call their home. For people to call their family. They have found that, and more, here.

Our kids come from every walk of life. During the first ten years of our marriage, we went to uncountable sports functions, band and choir concerts, plays, and parent-teacher meetings. We spent hours counseling our sweet charges about everything from academics to God to the opposite sex. I have washed countless loads of laundry and dishes, prepared countless meals, driven thousands of miles, bought seasons of school clothes and winter coats. JP has fixed cars, helped move belongings, listened patiently while nervous young men asked his permission to marry one of our sweet girls.

The only rule we ever had for our family of mentor kids was to, “Love each other unconditionally no matter what the others do, how they act, or what they say.”  While this was a very difficult rule to try to follow, each one did the best they could, resting securely in the knowledge that they were loved. Oh so loved. No matter what. NO MATTER WHAT, y’all. Think about that for a minute. That is HUGE.

As they slowly, but surely, matured into fine young adults, we attended bridal showers, weddings, visited hospitals to welcome new born babies into this world, and, sadly, attended funerals to support our kids as they said their goodbyes to their loved ones.

Now that the kids are all grown, (19-34 years old) they have moved on with their own lives.  Many have stayed in touch and our lives are enriched by their friendships.

With the arrival of Little Bug, JP and I have moved on to another stage of our lives. Still welcoming others into our home, but in a different manner.

Our 40 mentor kids are linked forever as a family. They know that no matter what happens in life, no matter where they go, they can always call on us or the other kids from our mentor family, and they will have help. Someone to listen. Someone to mourn with. Someone to rejoice with.

Our kids now live literally all over the world…from the United States to Germany to Russia to South Korea, but this remains the same: wherever they go, wherever life takes them, they will always be in our hearts. They will always be family. They will always have a home.

As Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “Where we love is home – home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.”

~Annie