A Place to Call Home

For one reason or another, I have always felt a little out of place in the world around me. From the time I was in Elementary School I felt different from the other kids. The feelings deepened as I grew up and continued right through my University years. I was not an outcast, and I had family that loved me. But I just didn’t feel “home”. In the pursuit of a place to belong, I tried on different faces and personas and though I had some fun, nothing really clicked for me until I met Mark. He’s become my best friend, my confidante, and is so much a part of who I am that I have a hard time remembering my life without him. Finally, with Mark, I have found my place to belong: our family.

It wasn’t a conscious thought or plan to bring children into this world with the intent to satisfy my own need to belong, but I have realized that is exactly what has happened. In addition to the joy of sharing in the lives of two precious people, I have been able to find peace with myself as to where I should be in this world. As each of the individuals grows, so does my own sense of belonging. We’re to the point now that we have inside jokes and games. I live for those moments and treasure them – the ones that you had to be there to get it – sort of moments. It’s not always butterflies and roses in our family, nor is it for any family I’m sure, and I know that we will need to navigate bumps and curves along the road of life as we all grow. It may not always be pretty or perfect, but we will manage, as distinct individuals that together, form our unique family.