81 - LEAVING HOME SWEET HOME

LEAVING HOME SWEET HOME

10 x 12 ¾ inches

(My childhood farm home)

Leaving my protected life on the farm to attend college stirred up conflicting emotions—excitement of the new and fear of the unknown. Like my great-grandparents coming to the unknown land of America, I focused on what needed to be done. Pushing beyond my comfort zone, I had to shine Light on the unfamiliar to move forward.

When I was a freshman in college, my parents left the farm and moved to a small rural town. Soon after, my beloved childhood farmhouse and barns disintegrated. Just as the buildings and trees gave way to the land, my fear of the unknown gave way to fulfilling my future dreams.

Life gives us opportunities to grieve what we must leave behind while giving us warm memories and opportunities to advance. Without courage, our comfort zones can paralyze us and halt our opportunities for growth. It takes wisdom and foresight to move into unexplored territory.

Leaving home was a prerequisite for embracing my future—it was the beginning of understanding how important Light would become. The warm memories of my sunny farmhouse will forever draw me to the light of interior spaces.