“There’s a deep, vital security in knowing that, no matter how improbable a visit is, home is still there”
That doesn’t mean that the transition will be completely painless. Whenever Chumi feels nostalgic about being young, she thinks about the house and all over again, it hits her that it’s gone. “If you’re in this situation, be kind to yourself and don’t be embarrassed if you’re emotional about it. True that it’s just things and it’s only a house, but we connect real meaning to those things. Losing them can be a big deal.”
As Dr. Ehrenberg points out, our Jewish traditions can provide some solace. “In some ways the whole purpose of creation revolves around the issue of leaving and finding a new home,” he says.
“Our primary developmental task is to grow beyond the security of our childhood home and take on the responsibility of our adult home. There’s a spiritual parallel to that in our avodas Hashem, when we leave the comfort of Shamayim to come down and create a dirah b’tachtonim, a dwelling place for Hashem here on earth.”
It’s easy to say that missing a house is just a feeling, but a house is a home too — and there’s no place like it. At least there’s comfort in knowing that leaving home is normal and necessary. However difficult, the transition is integral to life — and growth.
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