It's that time of year when alumni make the trek back to their alma matter for Homecoming. I don't have to travel far though. My high school is directly across the street from where we now live. I went home again, in a big way.
"They" say you can't go home again - not really. That's true in a way. Everyone and everything you left behind grew and changed in your absence, just as you did. There's an odd sense of familiarity minus the intimacy that was once a natural part of every experience. This is usually enough to make some people think they've made a mistake in coming home. It's interesting that we expect everyone else to stay the same when we ourselves have changed dramatically over the years.
My youngest son attends my Alma Matter. He is also in the same ensemble singing group I was in, Seminole Singers, and sang at the Homecoming Game this weekend just as I had. The sights and sounds of the biggest game of the year spilled into our backyard and the lights of the stadium shone like spotlights into our windows. I could hear the roar of the crowd even though our windows were shut and the air conditioning was on (it is Florida after all). I was transported back in my mind to every home game we had when I went to high school and how I helped man the concession stands as part of my service club's duties. My own memories overwhelmed the present and I felt "at home."
During the upcoming holiday season many of us will be experiencing our own kind of homecoming. Yes, things will have changed. People and places may not be where you left them. But if "home" is a good feeling for you, allow your memories to wash over you and cover the changes you see when you pull into that driveway. Allow "home" back into your heart.