Homecoming Bliss

One of the annual fall festivities is Homecoming. It’s a time when alumni come back to root on their high school or college teams one more time. It’s a time to welcome back old friends. And it’s a time to celebrate the fact that family and friends made it safely home and are here to celebrate with us. After forty some years on the planet, I’ve come to realize that every homecoming should be a time of celebration.

One Halloween when I was younger, the daughter of one of my parent’s friends was killed while she was trick or treating and the guilt and the anguish destroyed her parents. In another instance, one of our fellow church members was killed on an icy road on Christmas Eve. And in an incident that hit close to home, my cousin was killed in a farming accident on my mother’s birthday. At the time, the life altering impact of these tragedies was lost on me, but since I’ve become a parent, I cannot begin to fathom the depth of pain these families felt to have lost their loved ones.
I realize that my kids have to grow up and, hopefully, I’ve equipped them with the skills they need to make smart decisions: to not drive drunk, to not get in the car with someone who has been drinking, to not do drugs, to stay out of bad parts of town, etc.. However, as a parent, I realize that all too often all the right choices can be undone by one wrong choice made by someone else.

Having someone to come home to is one of the most blissful feelings on earth. I remember one night when I was driving home in a torrential downpour. I couldn’t even tell whether or not I had the car on the road and there was no one else on the road whose tail lights I could follow. I slowed down and prayed that I’d make it home in one piece. Walking into the door, I was greeted by a tight hug from my worried husband and the sight of white candles burning on the table as a prayer for my safe return. I never felt more loved and cared for than I did at that moment.

Next time you drop your kids off at school or your husband off at the train, take a moment to tell them you love them and when you’re reunited make sure they know how much they matter to you. Remember, every night there are families out there who sent their loved ones off to ordinary activities, who don’t get another chance to tell them how much they matter.

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Raine Shakti

Raine Shakti believes in living her life cairn by cairn and in helping others learn to do the same. Her day job is in the training and communications field and her best professional experiences are when she is able to empower people. She has spent the last few years reclaiming her life and her inner warrior. Part of this journey was becoming an ordained priestess with the Fellowship of Isis. Her Matron deities are Nephthys who has helped her become a true virgin woman, the Morrigan who has taught her what it means to be sovereign, and Yemaya who has taught her the strength in having a loving heart.

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