heaven on earth.

Have you ever felt like home was heaven on earth?
Like being home, if even for a few days, made everything better?
It's almost like your soul just craves the sanctuary that comes with being around
the people who know you. really know you. and the places you know so well.
There is no explaining yourself. There is no need for constant conversation. There is no stress.
Only people and places you love, and who love you in return.

I've had that experience a few times now.
The first was the summer after I graduated high school.
I had never been away from home longer than two weeks,
but I was independent...so I was sure it would be no big deal to leave home for the summer.
Oh, I was more than a little overconfident in my ability to be independent
and unaware of my youth and dependence on my family.
It got to be too much for my barely graduated self to handle- and one weekend, I needed to go.
I left directly after work on Friday and had to come back for work Monday,
so a short trip was what it had to be.
I couldn't drive fast enough.
We didn't do anything that special, just our normal dinner and a movie routine.
It happened to be a perfect summer night.
So a spontaneous thought brought about a spontaneous adventure-
and we brought blow-up mattresses to our (then) house pad and slept under the stars.

I think I cried when I left. I had never before realized how much I loved home.

This weekend was another one of those.
Heaven on earth. I was back in God's country with my people.
I was comfortable and happy and sat taking in the general splendor most of the time.
The colored green touched everything in sight, and sunshine flooded through every window.
We fell asleep to a breeze through the window and stars for days, 
and woke up slowly in the mornings to sunshine and birds chirping.
I scratched backs and did hair and makeup.
I gave and received good, long hugs.

It was only three days, but blissful they were.
And they somehow put everything back in balance.