Week 5: Give your city (or town) a new name that reflects what type of place it is, and explain why

Throughout my life God has communicated with my in different seasons by giving me a word. What I mean by that is one day I will notice a particular word, and it captures my attention. I take note and move on, but the word seems to keep popping up. I might hear it in a song, then read it in a book, or see it on a billboard. It might come up in conversation an abnormal amount of times, or "randomly" be the title of a new sermon series at church. When I notice this happening I vow to pay attention to that word and commit to pray about what God might be trying to teach me about its meaning. Inevitably, I usually end up seeking things to read about that word, and write about what I find.

Well, the word of this particular season for me is 'home,' and it's the one I have chosen as my answer to this question.

If I were to rename my current town/state, I would call it 'Home.'

For many this might sound obvious and insignificant, but this is a huge statement for me. I have moved A LOT in my lifetime. Probably not the most of anyone I know, but certainly more than the average person.

I have lived in Illinois, Malaysia, back to Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, a brief stint in Italy, again in Illinois, Colorado, back to Illinois, and finally in Colorado again. I won't bore you with the details of each move, but needless to say I am no stranger to new places and 'starting over.'

That being said, whenever anyone asks me where I would call 'home' I typically answer that I have spent the most time in Illinois so that is probably the most logical answer. Truthfully, however, in my heart I never really identified anywhere as 'home' because I always had the feeling that I would be leaving again at some point. I think God has protected me from getting too attached to a place, knowing His plan for me was to live in many different places.

For me to call a place 'home' is a new concept.

So why do I now feel comfortable calling Colorado 'home'? Well, it is not because I don't anticipate ever leaving. I learned long ago that being resistant to change is a trap. God could very well call me out of here at any moment and I want to be open and willing to that calling. It is also not because I own a home here, or have made any different commitment to this place than anywhere else I have lived. Rather, I think it is because this place represents a foundation for my little family.

My husband and I spent a year here right after we got married. It will forever be associated with us beginning our life together as a family of two, and learning how to do things the way WE felt called to do them together.

Though we moved back to Illinois for a time, we are now in Colorado once more, showing our son all the things we love about this state. It is an incredible feeling to watch him experience the adventure we have grown to love about this place. We are our best selves here, right now, and we get to grow and learn and explore together. We are building something that is our own, and it feels invigorating. I might leave in a few years, or stay here forever, but it is refreshing to say that for now, Colorado is 'Home.'