In 2005 we bought our first house, and I was certain we’d live there forever. I had visions of our babies growing up in that home and then coming back to visit us someday while my husband and I rocked on the back porch and our grandchildren ran through the yard.

It didn’t take long for me to wonder what bigger and better things might be possible. I spent more time than I’d like to admit looking at houses we couldn’t afford and dreaming about what our lives might look like if our circumstances and resources were different. I just knew that life could be more comfortable and easier to manage if only the place we called home was bigger, newer, and more accessible. I dreamed about when that might happen and how we could make it happen sooner.

I dreamed about the maybes and what-ifs.

But the beauty of our life was never dependent upon any of those things. It was never about where we were going, what life we might someday lead, or the place we might someday call home.

It was about that moment when we stood on the front porch of our first home. Together.

It was about the days we spent watching our daughters splash in the baby pool on the front patio.

It was about the giant oak tree in the front yard where I tied a yellow ribbon when my husband was deployed.

It was about the holidays when we crammed 17 people into 1200 square foot of house in the name of Thanksgiving tradition.

It was about the neighbors who mowed our yard when our daughters’ health required us to be away from home for extended periods of time.

It was about all those moments that my husband and I spent rocking on the back porch together.

The measure of a good life was never about the house.

It was about the home. And home is wherever I’m with my people.

When we stood on that front porch all those years ago, tired and sweaty from a day of moving and beaming with pride over our family’s first real home, I could never have imagined where I would be in 10 or 15 years. And believe me, I tried. I had hopes and plans, but none of those came close to the life God had in store for me and my family.

It was never about that little house or any other place we could have called home. It was never about our circumstances or resources or furniture or paint color or more square footage.

It was about being present with my people and faithful that God had a plan.

Sometimes I’m tempted to wonder where we’ll be in another 10 or 15 years, but the truth is that I don’t know. That’s a bit scary sometimes, but it’s also incredibly freeing because it means that I can just be in this moment with my loved ones and leave the maybes to God.

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