"May your home always be too small to hold all of your friends."
--Author Unknown
Courtesy of Scott Levitt of Oakley Signs & Graphics.
With every holiday season comes the opportunity to reunite with friends and family. From those we don't see too often to those who we live with (but might take for granted), this is the time of year we can reset ourselves and reconnect with our most important people. If we are truly lucky, we have more friends than we can reasonably host in our home.
But thousands are not so lucky this holiday season, and as we count the blessings we have, we should be doubly aware of the blessings others don't have. Let's put aside the deals of Black Friday and Cyber Monday for a moment and honor those who can't be home for the holidays.
Let us remember those who serve our country. Let us remember those who must work for the companies who transport us safely home this season. Let us remember the law enforcement and emergency service workers who protect our homes. Let us remember those who are working through the holidays to keep their homes as well as those who lost their home in the past year.
Home is not just a house. Home is a sense of belonging, a sense of well-being. Turn to your community this year and seek out those who are "not home." Find opportunities in your food banks and find organizations who support those who are far from home or without the feeling of home in their lives.
Let us hope that the coming year is one in which we can collectively bring people home.