Welcome Home!
By
Gerry Niskern
What is home? Home might be where you grew up. It might be a friendly neighborhood or a familiar town. It’s a place where you are never alone; where you know someone is right beside you all the time.
More importantly home is a place where you find help, companionship, and laughter; where you can feel safe, relaxed and comfortable.
I attended a welcome home/ birthday celebration the other evening. My great-grandson was home after seven years studying to become an Internal Medicine Specialist. His parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, great-grandparents, cousins, nephews and friends met at a local Pizza place to welcome him home and sing him Happy Birthday too !
There were warm hugs and kisses of greetings all evening thru the loud music and shouts of kids. This young doctor was a little taller and at least twenty pounds heavier. He also had the quiet confidence that came with his years of intensive training with people from all walks of life.
He huddled with grandmothers who wanted to know when he was going to quit shaving his head. (Answer, never.) One wanted know what kind of car he was going to get now that his 2006 was gasping its last breath? Girl friend of brother wanted pointers on how he made his sourdough bread which he perfected all thru medical training. (at a luncheon with silly awards fellow grads voted him “the one most likely to bake you a loaf of bread as an apology for hacking your computer”!)
He was locked in serious conversation with little sister who is following in his footsteps and is currently sending out applications to Med schools.
When his cake came out and we all joined in singing happy birthday, there were a few tears. He had been alone on seven birthdays, but wasn’t anymore.
Everyone wanted to know why his little daughter wasn’t there. (answer: She is in Kindergarten in another town.) That brings us to the theme of today’s blog. You see, she was born after he started his long journey. As a divorced dad he has had limited contact and wants to make up for lost time.
He is now home to Arizona with a position in an Arizona hospital. He wants to create a second home, a “daddy home” for his little girl. He wants to spend special days reading, coloring, playing games, teaching her skills. This dad will take her on lots of hikes, grocery shopping, cooking, and discussing whatever comes their way.
In other words, our guy enjoyed the warmth of family’s arms the other night and he wants his child to be able to count on the peace, joy, and love where she knows she is always welcome in her “daddy home”.
I wouldn’t be surprised if she isn’t learning to put a little loaf of sour dough to rise this weekend!