“Home is where the heart is.”
–Pliny the Elder
Driving cross-country through 11 states last week before arriving at my new residence in Scottsdale, Arizona, Wednesday night, I had a lot of time to think about what “home” means this Christmas.
Palms trees, sunny skies and warm temperatures certainly feel different than the cozier and sometimes snowy New England Christmas seasons of the past that were so familiar (even though I know that isn’t the forecast this year!).
Yet, when I look deep within my heart, I realize my home is now in several states, from Atlanta and Massachusetts where my children and some dear friends live, to New York, Florida, California, Maryland, Vermont, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Colorado, where I am connected with many other people who have touched my life.
Increasingly, I am learning “home” isn’t a place where we live, but rather a space within each of us from which we share our hearts. When I miss people who cannot be by my side, either because they have passed away or live too far away, I take several moments of silence to hold them in my heart, bless them and send love.
Still, some holiday exchanges can challenge us as we hover between being on our “best behavior” and speaking the truth. However, I believe integrity is part of living and loving from “home.” It took me a long time to learn that it is healthy to speak up, say what you need to say, and then move on to the next moment, which is another opportunity to share love. At the same time, I extend my blessings to people I have been in conflict with, wishing them peace and forgiveness, knowing our time to express love on Earth is very brief indeed.
This Christmas, I wish for all of you the same comfort I yearn for in this new, unfamiliar place of living:
“I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.”
–Maya Angelou
Happy holidays wherever you are!
Love,
Gail
Cheers from a happy and exhausted Bill and me, who were toasting our trip West in Church St. Café, a Mexican restaurant in Albuquerque, NM (as pictured above), after a much-needed stop on our 3,000 mile drive cross-country.
Gail Kauranen Jones is an intuitive coach, gifted wordsmith and inspiring teacher who has been leading others through transformation for more than twenty years. She is the author of two books, Cancer as a Love Story: Developing the Mindset for Living, and To Hell and Back…Healing Your Way through Transition. Both books were met with rave reviews on Amazon and elsewhere.
She recently appeared as a guest “worthiness coach” on CBS TV’s award-winning talk show The Doctors and on Sirius FM Radio. Her articles and “tips” on worthiness have also appeared several times in Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper.
She has taught many leading-edge workshops at top spas and wellness centers. She now leads Zoom group coaching programs and is a guest speaker at many related events.
Gail lives a passionate and simple life writing, hiking, connecting in meaningful ways, aligning in joyful collaboration and thriving in nature.