Some people love going places and doing things. Others prefer a slower pace and an enduring place. There are blessings and challenges with each. 

Dad was a slower-pace and enduring place kind of guy. He never flew in an airplane of any kind. He won free tickets anywhere in the continental United States for his productive work habits. They went unused. 

Dad’s idea of the good life was having a piece of land he could call his own with a house big enough to host Thanksgiving. He cut down worthless trees and tended those providing shade and fruit. He tilled multiple gardens. He loved growing all kinds of interesting plants from around the world in addition to dinner-table staples. 

Dad was a hobbit. 

Mom is more of a go-places and-do-things kind of gal. She enjoys long drives and a flight here and there from time to time. She is currently residing with her one remaining sister in another state. There are new sights to see there. There are new places to go and things to do. 

Occasionally, she misses her home state and long-time hometown. Most often, she appreciates the distance and the opportunity to recover from Dad’s lengthy illness and his passing last fall. 

Mom is a Took.

If you do not understand hobbits and the family line of Took, well, I’m not sure we can be friends. Actually, if you will read Tolkien with me, I guarantee we will be friends. We have adventures to share over coffee, after movies, and in expanded imaginations full of new maps to explore. 

Me? I’m a little of both. I love evenings at home. Our dinner table, our sofas, our books, our bed represents the good life. Ours is not a large home, nor a small one. It is just about right. I love home, and all its comforts and all it makes possible.

I also love navigating airports and visiting places I have dreamed of since childhood. The library at Austin Grade School in my hometown started me down the pathway of wanderlust. It also held me back. I wanted to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but I don’t speak Italian. I wanted to see African animals, but from a safe distance while holding a big gun. 

Having now stood atop the leaning landmark in Pisa and having been within ten feet of a male lion in an open vehicle in Africa, I am ready for more adventures. Also, I will be ready to come home and fondly remember them.

Which way do you lean? Are you a wanderer? Or are you a settler? What did God say to his people as they prepared to enter the Promised Land at long last? To two of the tribes he said this:

Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys, and Issachar, in your tents.

When you go with God, you can enjoy your journeys, and you can enjoy your stay. Whether your journey takes you here, there, and everywhere, or you prefer to put down deep roots and travel only occasionally, your walk with God is what enriches your life. The best thing about life is knowing you have never been out of his presence or care, and you never will be if you receive his gift of life that endures forever. 

Our last journey, however challenging it may be, ends with the most delightful starting place. Field of Dreams is not a theology textbook, but the father character at the end of the movie says something we can know is true. When asked by his son if there is a heaven, he says, “Oh yeah. It’s the place where dreams come true.”

It’s home. It’s one non-stop adventure. It’s all we ever wanted and so much more. 

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I will walk with God at home and abroad, in this mortal life and all eternity.

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Our Father, thank you for travel adventures. Thank you for a place to call home. Thank you for the endless adventures and the perfect home awaiting all who know you and love you. Amen.