Each of us longs for home. If not the physical place itself, we each desire the sense of feeling at home. Most commonly we think of home as where our family lives, especially if they live where we grew up. But where is home when that place no longer exists? When our parents die or move to another place? Perhaps you left your childhood home for college, or a job, or for love, and you ended up establishing home in a new place—another city, another state, or even another country. Maybe you got married and home became the place where you met your spouse. Or maybe home became the place where you raised your own family. But what happens when your children leave home and establish residence somewhere else, no longer returning regularly for special occasions or holidays? Or when divorce, death, or tragedy disrupts your sense of home and irrevocably fractures what you once knew to be certain, safe, and comfortable? In the absence of children, parents, or spouse, how does one define what home is or decide where it lies?

       At some point many of us have felt estranged from home and don’t know where to find it. We live our lives, buoyed by events that carry us along, following cultural norms, possibly content yet sensing at moments the overwhelming sensation of being unmoored and disconnected. We accept what the culture—largely influenced by nostalgia, economics, and advertising—tells us home is and strive for that. We buy more things and bigger houses, we change jobs, move to “better” locations, and still don’t feel content, completely comfortable, or soulfully connected to place. We long for something more. What is missing? How can we fulfill this longing for home?