where is home?

i had a dream i was in a nursing home that had recently closed. the family that ran it for the past 50 years had all finally died, and there was no one to carry on. the staff were all gone, the residents all moved, and all that was left were empty rooms and shadows.

my job was to help remove the family effects, mostly boxed up. but there were a few things left behind.

in one room, there were scraps of blue and red bandanas, a tiny cowboy boot, and a clock on the wall that looked like a sailboat. in another there was a pillowcase with pink and yellow ruffles, torn up in a corner.

the carpet in the main hallway was wrinkled and thin. rooms on either side were decrepet and stunk. pealing paper covered holes in the walls. piles of plaster from water leaks littered the corners. windows were cracked or missing.

the home's administator told me that all of the residents had been moved just a few days ago.

i felt sick. "how could these people have lived like this? my god, to spend their last days in this place?"

a beat, a pause, a tearful response:

"this is where those people lived. for most, this was the only home they ever knew. they were together here, and they loved each other. now, no two of them are in the same place. it makes me so sad."

so,

where is home? home is wherever love is. home is where there are hands to hold, winks to exchange, eyes to gaze into, and memories to share. home is where we land when our souls are strong and our hearts are open.

home. welcome, home.