It's good to be home

My wife passed away in May of 2014, at which time our family was living in Portland.

About eight months after she died I lost my job. It felt like defeat after defeat. I immediately thought about moving home where my parents live, but everything in me desired to stay in Portland to continue our established way of life.

You see, I was born in Bend and raised in Sisters. I graduated from Sisters High School in 2003 and left fairly soon after that, as many young people do. So, for me the thought of returning fell into the last resort category. I viewed the idea as an admission of defeat. But as time passed I ultimately softened to the notion, and reluctantly relocated our small family back home.

In my mind it was a temporary measure.

To my surprise, it didn't take long for a sense of peace to settle in my heart. I really do feel like I am home and have done a lot of healing since being back.

This past Saturday night my wife (I have remarried) and I went to the Sisters Movie House, a place I used to work, to see the movie "Sisters." At one point in the film one of the characters said something along the lines of, "Home isn't just a building, it's a feeling." It was a great movie, but I didn't expect to come away from it having such a feeling of sentimentality. It was a profound moment for me because I have come to realize that sense of home on a whole new level in the better part of the last year.

I think many folks would say that Christmas is a natural time to reflect on the year and acknowledge the things for which we should be thankful as we approach the next one. Personally, since living back in Sisters I have realized that it is and always will be home, no matter where my family may end up in the future.

The last time I lived here I was still a youth. Sure, by legal standards I was an adult, but emotionally and mentally speaking, I was still very childish. I didn't appreciate this town the way I do now. There is a slower and simpler way to life here. Oftentimes, when you say something is "simple," it can carry with it a bit of a negative connotation, but I feel Sisters is a rare example of slowness and simplicity being a good thing, especially when you have gone out into the world and had your ass kicked a bit.

Maturity and life experience have taught me that this is truly a special place and I am lucky to call it home.

My son and one of my daughters are currently enrolled in their first year of preschool through Sisters Park & Recreation District. They meet at the elementary school, which is just a short walk from where we live. I attended elementary school there myself, and my son's classroom is actually the very classroom in which I spent the third grade.

This past Thursday night, we got the pleasure of attending the program's Christmas party. At one point in the evening's festivities the families assembled in the gymnasium for a performance the teachers had put together. Seeing the children standing out on the gym floor and singing a Hawaiian rendition of "The 12 Days of Christmas" was a more special moment for me than I anticipated. Given the context of my family's story, it carried with it an element of peace and happiness about where we have ended up - despite all of the hardships we have endured.

As a father, it was my first "we have to videotape this" moment. As hard as it is raising young children, not to mention in a blended family, it felt good. I get the pleasure of seeing the next generation of my town unfold before my very eyes.

Since returning this past spring, while having appreciated being home more than I ever thought possible, Christmas has brought about a new sense of thankfulness in my heart, and seeing it through the eyes of my children has made me more appreciative of where I come from than ever before. I'm proud to be back in this community, and even though there is truth to the notion that home is more of a feeling than a place, for those of us who hail from this town we get that the opposite is true as well.

So, may Christmas 2015 find you thankful for your home, wherever that may be.

For me, I'm glad that home is Sisters.