Thoughts on Home

Well, I've survived being in a small, northern town in Saskatchewan for three weeks now, and almost nothing could be further from my home in the city of Toronto. For example, I don't think I've heard a siren since I left BC, and I've gone to bed for the last ten years hearing them probably every night!

Last weekend, we got the chance to go to Winnipeg for Commissioning - what a relief to be back in a city! The lights, the sounds, the sights, the cars, the protesters! Yes, we saw two rallies going on in Winnipeg, on the same street around the same time actually. We even got to see the Communist Party of Canada in action marching with several other groups against war. While we were in Winnipeg, Jessica and I made sure to stop by a Tim Hortons to get our first, and probably last, iced cap of the summer. I noticed then that all the Tim Hortons across Canada that I've been to are the same - the bathroom's always in the same place, the layout is the generally the same, the colours, the chairs, the uniforms, the food. I could sit in a Tim Hortons in Winnipeg and feel like I was in Toronto or Vancouver. It felt like 'home'. Now I know what they are talking about on their commercials. I hope Tim Hortons never changes.
In a way, going to Commissioning felt like going home, too. You see, I practically grew up at big Salvation Army events. I caught up with old friends, made new, socialized with officers, and met the people that babysat me when I was one year old. And this time, I even was able to see my Dad, who was in town for the event with the staff band. So I couldn't help but get excited when I saw the uniforms, the timbrels, and the brass band (which I have sorely missed this year I might add!) The whole Commissioning experience felt something like coming home for me.

I was talking to Jessica about our perspectives on this issue last night. I guess because I've moved so much that I don't really consider home a building anymore, it is an important place or a family, and I'm happy that I consider myself to have many homes: Jacksons Point, Toronto, Philadelphia, the downtown eastside of Vancouver, and even New Zealand if I stretch back far enough. I love the verse in Mark 3 where Jesus clearly says "Whoever does the will of my Father in Heaven is my brother, my sister and my mother."

Who knows, if I can survive this, maybe I'll have a home in Nipawin, Saskatchewan, too.

Peace,
Megan Smith