Throughout the years, with jobs and the hardships of life getting in the way, my family had to uproot a few times. For most, this would be considered somewhat of a disappointment. At first my reaction to moving was sadness, but after a while I have begun to realize how much I've gained from moving around. There are always negatives to leaving parts of your life behind, but there is also a beauty in creating new memories. I've learned a lot about what "home" is through living in many different places.
Out of all of my experiences with moving, moving from one state to the next has been the most "life-changing." When I was a sophomore in high school, my dad received a promotion that required him to be in Atlanta five out of the seven days a week. At first, he was spending a majority of his time in Atlanta. Over time, this put a lot of strain on our family and pressure on my mom. Eventually, his boss gave him an ultimatum: Move to Atlanta or lose your job. I remember the exact second my mom told me we were moving to Georgia like it was yesterday. I can remember where I was, what I was wearing, and my first thought after my mom told me. My first reaction was a little bit of an over-exaggeration, but I was reasonably quite upset about leaving the only place I had called my home. I would be leaving behind all of my friends, some of which were friends of mine from kindergarten, and the only place I'd ever known. The longer I thought about it, I decided it wasn't going to be too bad. I'd find another group of friends, and adapt to all of the changes.
Looking back on that now, four years after I moved from Maryland to Georgia, I am thankful for this experience. I've learned a little more about what defines the place I call my "home." I was upset when we moved because I thought the place that was considered my "home" was determined by the actual physical place. However, I learned that "home" is where your family is and where your heart is happy. Moving far from my birthplace and the place where I grew up was unarguably very difficult, but I've grown to appreciate it. I appreciate it because instead of having one home, the home I moved away from, I have many places to consider my own. My heart is in many places. My heart still stands strong in Manchester, Maryland, but has grown in strength in Kennesaw, Georgia. Even so, my heart grew as I found my newest home at Georgia Southern.
"It takes hands to build a house, but only hearts can build a home." Regardless of what place you're in, your heart determines the place you call your home. Home is truly where ever your heart is.
