Home again this weekend and Suzanne refers to this time spent in our own home as ‘Vacation’.  For her, it is the time away from all the reminders of treatments,  meetings with doctors,  finance & insurance challenges, and the strains of living in our tiny apartment. Not that we don’t appreciate the place we have to stay in Chicago, can’t imagine what it would be like without it. But it’s not home.

As we pull into the driveway we’re able to view what I call ‘Bruns Botanical Gardens’ with our pond,  waterfall, and flower gardens all around.  Whereas our Chicago home, concrete is about as pretty as it gets.

In Chicago, our kitchen has room for 1 person, a single sink, and enough counter space to set one saucepan.   Here,  her kitchen is one that we designed for her specific needs.  Lots of counter space, cabinets that hold more than we actually need, Spices to flavor any dish, and our eating area where we sit side by side every day, every meal.

In Chicago, we take turns in our bathroom to get ready for the day, a tub shower with one of those annoying saver showerheads, and just enough room to get done what needs to be done.  Our bathroom at home is spacious, has a walk-in large shower with a heat lamp, enough counter space to hold the electric toothbrush, Waterpik, lotions, her potions & medications.

As long as I can remember, we try to spend time together each evening, talking about our day while we watch TV, put a puzzle together, or just checking our social media.  In Chicago that’s done on the worn-out, pull out couch that we have put extra cushions on to make it comfortable as we view our 24″ TV.  At home, we can enjoy a cozy fire in our newly remodeled living room, watch our multi-speaker 48″ stereo TV and view it from our new reclining couch.

Off to bed in Chicago where we each have 18″ on either side of the bed to get ready and that ‘gotta have something on my feet’ feeling like in a hotel room.  At home, our adjustable bed allows me to watch the news while Suzanne reads where we both fall off to sleep in our comfortable bed.

As it turns out, Suzanne is right, our home is our paradise.  It is where we have the most shared memories with each other, family and friends. It the place where we feel the most comfortable, well, at home. 

Sometimes it’s not until you miss something does it become in focus. After this is all over, we plan on being on vacation in our home 365 days of the year.

By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
Proverbs 24:3-4