There's no place like home

Dorothy got it right as she was clicking those ruby red slippers chanting about her home sweet home in Kansas. There really is no place like it and I have to say that living overseas has helped this thought to become a reality.
I don't really have a HOME anymore. I am a vagrant traveler and I love the adventures I have been on over the past three years. I have a place of residence, but I really don't have a home. I have resided in Bolivia and am now an expat living in Seoul, South Korea. Even though I do not have four walls and a roof to call my own, every summer I have a strong yearning to be back in Indiana and spend time with my family and friends. The house where my parents now live is not the same house where I grew up, yet it is the summer memory maker, therefore it represents HOME to me.
I get to spend anywhere from four to six weeks at home every summer. For the past three years there are a few dates that I consistently circle on my calendar, the date when school starts, the date when school ENDS and the date in which I fly back HOME for the summer. When I arrive home (no matter how early or how late my flight arrives) my mom is always there to greet me. Pulling into the drive (usually at an ungodly hour) I notice the light on in the spare bedroom - the light illuminates from the room and I can see the oversized pillows and the cozy comforter from the street. I let out a big sigh and said, "It is so good to be home".
There is a comfort when you are in a place that you know is not your own, but you feel the freedom to raid the refrigerator or lay on the couch and curl up with a blanket. I have friends that have these inviting houses - I know I do not live there, but I have a soothing spirit cover me like a blanket and I know it is a safe haven, a peaceful resort, my hide away.
After a school year, most teachers know that our batteries are running pretty low by the time June rolls around. My family also is aware of this concept and whenever I arrive in Indiana, it is as if my family can see the blinking red light on my human batteries showing that the charge is almost empty. After a couple of home cooked meals, some time out walking in the sunshine and some family games, the battery light starts to read a little stronger. With some coffee and conversations with old friends, my human meter starts to flash RECHARGING. By the end of the summer after many family photos, softball games, pool parties and good ol' fashioned BBQ's - my battery is fully charged!
HOME is much more than a place where we lay our head at night or wake up to the smell of coffee brewing. HOME is a place where family and friends are together, HOME is a place where you feel comfortable just being yourself, HOME is a place where love and laughter abound.
Man, it is good to be HOME!