Blessed, my two homes

It's funny how one week you can feel alone in this world. And a few weeks later you can realize how truly blessed you are with people who care. There are topics on CHBM, writing collaborations and they prompt you with a subject to write about and link back to their website. This months topic was home, and while I didn't think I would participate in it I think that it's relevant to some things that I've been feeling lately.

When I think about home I think about New Mexico. I confused my husband the other day. Were were leaving Olive Garden and I said, I think I want to go home for a while. "Home?" He asked. We were planning on going to the store and he wasn't sure why I suddenly wanted to change course.

"Yeah, HOME, New Mexico. I think I would like to go visit my mom for a while." I replied. You see, I still consider my mom's home my own. I have friends who are still there, my very best friends who I have known for years. All of my family is there, and while were not close, we are still family. New Mexico is the place of my upbringing, my heritage, my memories good and bad. And for those reasons I consider this place home.

When I moved to Texas I told DH that I would never consider it home. I didn't like Texas. I didn't like the people in Texas. Or so I thought. Unfortunately the only experience I had with the people from Texas were the rich snooty kind that shopped in the Santa Fe Plaza. As it turns out, those are the minority in this great state. And really the people are some of the nicest you will find. The state itself is beautiful and after a while, fighting as I was, even I started to get Texas pride.

But whether this was my home was still in question until recently. We moved a few months ago to a new house, a new neighborhood. I had always wanted to live in a neighborhood, one with sidewalks and close neighbors. We were the first house here, and let me tell you I LOVE my house. It's big and the fanciest place I've ever lived. We painted it and decorated it with our personalities. We moved our little there person family here, and within months our family added a new addition. But while family is the most important thing in my life, I figured I can always move them with me, and the only friends that I had here were also from New Mexico. So even with a nice life here, I still considered NM my home, one in which even my friends from Texas were incorporated with.

Slowly neighbors started moving into the empty houses, and houses fill the empty lots. The people who moved in went quickly from strangers to friends. The reasons our evening walks are so enjoyable, the people we go to for fun, and occasionally for help. It's been great. Slowly this place has started feeling more like home.

This last weekend my son had his third birthday. I was going to have a party, but it seemed as though everyone we were going to invite had something else to do. Which is not unusual at the end of the summer. People are all trying to finish up summer plans, have their last hurrah before the colder temps take over. So I cancelled the party, feeling slightly defeated. DH's parents came down to help celebrate Yoda's birthday and it was nice to have family here.

Then Sunday came along, August 27th, Yoda's birthday. We planned on going to Chucky Cheese with G and C, our Texas/ NM friends. We had fun, the first time any of us had ever been there. Then we came home. Waiting for us at home were some of the neighbors. They came bearing Birthday wishes for Malachi. It was so neat. To think that people cared enough to remember my son's birthday, much less having people be so generous to give him presents. I was truly touched.

I've also had the opportunity to meet another SAHM who just moved to this state and is trying to adjust to the Texas way of living. Things seem so much nicer now that I have people to share my thoughts, and evenings with.

So as of lately I've learned that I am not at a loss for a HOME. In fact I have two homes, one here and one back with my family and old friends. Now that is being truly blessed.