Like a watercolor painting, this view is the first sighting of our town as we drive back to it from southern CA. Just a small point in the water, with a few trees, a house barely visible. But as soon as I see it, the connection is there. This is HOME. And I am always so glad to be here.
When we moved here, almost 21 years ago, it was so that I could start a job as associate pastor. My husband commuted to work in the middle of each week for the next ten years, took one retirement for a year, then went back to work for another two before retiring in 2010, as did I. So Santa Barbara has been home for as long as any other place we have ever lived together. Our connection is solid, but it is very different from the connection we feel to points south.
That’s where we raised our family, where both my husband and I grew up, where our middle daughter still lives. It’s ‘home’ in a very different way, and the connections are strong and deep. And even though it’s now been over 50 years since we spent our two years in Zambia, we still have connections to that place and some of those people, too. I wish those connections were with African students, but sadly, the AIDS epidemic took the lives of many, many of those fine young people and we seldom hear from anyone who actually lives in country anymore. Our connections now are with those who lived and taught with us, and a couple of those are enduring and deep.
Where do you feel connected — geographically and emotionally? To a place? A group of people? A particular house? A school? Tell me a little in the comments . . .
