Deborah, you make me cry... in a good way.... Thank you for your heartfelt and authentic writing. Even though my own home is a humble rented apartment furnished in early American Flintstone, it means so much to me. It is my place of refuge in this difficult world. Temporary, as I live for my Eternal Home... Bless you, dear Deborah, Wendy
Dearest Wendy, I cry too. Our homes do mean so much, but it's that feeling of home we carry in our heart which lasts forever. The whole "how lucky or blessed were we." When we go deep with our Father, it prepares us for material loss and loss of our loved ones. Hard and agonizingly painful, but also so beautiful to know that we carry all our soul recognizes as home everywhere we go. Bless you too my friend. I will be catching up with you soon! Thank you for reading this! love, deb. oxox
Thank you so so much! I love those verses. Good to live by for sure! Thank you for reading and for your lovely comment. There’s nothing like shadows and light I feel…
I hope this finds you doing well with that growing family! ox
I’m going through heart break as my wife and I are separated and I’m moving away from our family ‘home’ in France and heading back to England - ‘home’. I’ve had a really difficult day - I’m struggling with leaving the ‘home’ we’ve built over the past 8 years here in France. God put us together 18 years ago and I’m struggling to understand why God is not intervening to help us reconcile our marriage. Your post speaks to me so powerfully, I honestly read it and felt the spirit lift me up and say to me - your ‘home’ is with me and I’ll never abandon you - trust in me and you will be well. Our faith in Jesus and our Heavenly Father is so powerful and reassuring. Leaning and trusting in Him. This post was I believe inspired by Him for his family and flock. Do not build treasures on this earth but in Heaven. Amen. In God we trust. Thank you for sharing this post. Ps I almost deleted it from my email but something stopped me and made me read it !
Dear Kevan, I can't begin to tell you how much it means that you opened this. I am so sorry for what you are going through. It's really hard stuff and I'm glad reading this helped. I need to tell you that I wrote to Alex the evening of the 19th about publishing this piece. He said I could do it on the 20th and I thought it was maybe too busy of a day. Then the day came and I texted him in the morning and said, "maybe later today around 4." Then I texted and said, maybe noon. At 11 a.m. I told him I was publishing at that moment. I felt the deep need to do it. I hoped it would speak to someone and that someone, across an ocean, was you! I pray you have had a better more peaceful day and although you are really going through some sad emotions of loss, ...not all is lost. There is so much to your life and although I never saw that in 2020, with our situation, I also never saw the rebuilding of my life. It was internal. If anyone would have told me I would grow and create in new ways, I would have never believed them. I was mourning my old life, looking for it, but God knew there was so much more within me. So much more to do. I just followed. Sounds so simple, but it was a total surrender as I moved through each day. I would say things like, "I follow God/Jesus into every situation." Or... "today's going to be hard but He will be sitting next to me when the theater curtain goes up and I will embrace these moments until the curtain goes down with no other expectations." It was as if God was telling me these things. A friend of mine (many friends from the past were coming into my life, going through the same thing) called me and said, "you know, often rejection is protection." I took that with me, humbly, as I wondered what I had done? But as the years went by I could feel that protection as the story unfolded. It's a real soul searching time. Hard to let go but when we do God really gets in there and writes our story. It's never over. You will carry the beautiful with you and grow from this. He won't abandon you. He's got you! God Bless and take good care of yourself. deb ox
Thank you so much- really appreciate you for taking the time to write this reply - so much truth and support and encouragement in here. It’s certainly hard what I’m going through but I’m focused on Jesus and His promises and taking one step at a time. In some ways, I feel excited by the future - but to be honest, those feelings do not stay too long. I’m in that process of letting go and moving forward. Thank you
I wish I could hug you. I understand pain in general. I’m a big empath. Sometimes we have no other choice but to follow Jesus through it all. He does have plans for us and nothing is truly over. It’s just beginning and I pray you can grow a good relationship between you in the future. oxox
I’d like to say a thousand words to make it easier, after reading what you’re going through but I will keep still and have faith that your process is sacred and eventually, the sun will shine through. Know that there are souls on the other end reading your thoughts, rooting for you. 💜💚💜💚
The images are beautiful and so is the real saga, Deborah. The feelings, emotions, memories and our experiences turn a house into a comfortable, cozy, secure home and it is sacred in every respect. Loved it thoroughly, Deborah. And I must mention that you are a fiercely strong inspiring soul.
Dear Vineet, this is the most beautiful comment. My heart is overwhelmed. Thank you. Home is most definitely sacred and we carry it wherever we go. I appreciate you, from what I imagine is one strong soul to another. ox
Home is where the heart is .l keep things that mean something to me.I am grateful for a roof above me.l like Matthew," Come unto me all who are heavy laden l will give you rest'.Yes your writing is a gift from God.Deborah . God bless you all.
I love Matthew Mary! and thank you so much for supporting my writing and encouraging me to keep going. Your words and kindness mean a lot. God keep you. ox
I like what you said about home. Realistically I’ve been looking for home all my life. This is the second response about home that I’ve written today. Both are about Jesus. Jesus is preparing a dwelling place for me. And He’s coming again soon to receive me (and you if you know Him as Savior and Lord) to Himself that where He is I will be also.
Deborah, Jesus saved us and sealed us with His Spirit (which is a down payment) that we belong to Him. He left us here to be ambassadors for Him. One day soon I believe He is going to call us home along with all true believers to be with Him forever. Then we’ll be home! What a glorious day that will be!
I agree! I love how C.S. Lewis says (in the meantime) "live for heaven!" This is why we must get "home" figured out here on earth. It's all about heaven! ox
It’s almost like being a fish out of water. But before Jesus ascended into heaven He told His disciples to “occupy” till He comes. The word occupy means to do business. I think that means that we’re to be diligent to serve Him and to do what He has for us to do.
Just wow… you win Substack again, my friend! You’ve written so much of life and love and faith into this…touches my heart and soul. Your way with words is like no other… words that resonate with all the houses I’ve lived in! I shared the physical, logistical, sorrow of always moving… but you are so right in that home is where our ❤️is, our family, our routines, chores, the plop-down place and the decorate it all up place…. most of all it is love! Love this so much. Love you more! Thank you for giving my eyes a new lens as I walk through my home today. 😘💕🙏🙌
Oh Joan, I love you. You are so kind to me. I am so glad this resonated with you. I knew if you saw it you would get those feelings you have carried in your heart and written about. We are so blessed to know these moments and to have had them. It truly is the love we carry. I love you more! to infinity! lol! BIG fan girl here! Thank you for this blessing. oxox
Hey Deb, thanks so much for reflecting on home. It's a good reminder that this world is NOT our home. Good thing, too, because it seems to be getting crazier and crazier. We have a job to point others to their eternal home as well. I love the quotes on home from Lewis to Holmes to the Bible. I remember standing in my room at my childhood home just before it was sold in 2017. It had been home for over 40 years and was a constant in my life of moving from here and there doing mission work in Mexico, Guam, Ecuador. It was empty, and in a way I felt empty leaving it. But life goes on, and our God is ever faithful. It's a metaphor for the things of this world's being overshadowed by the promise of eternal life and things that count for eternity. Last year was filled with bittersweet moments, getting ready to leave Joel and Amelia here in the States when we return to Ecuador later this year. It's hard, and yet, we know that God has them in His hands, and as parents of adult children we have no right to try to grab them out of His perfect will for them. Mom is also struggling after 60 plus years with Dad and now alone. My heart hurts for her. She was here for almost a week over the holidays. Now she is four hours away, and most of the time we talk by phone. I get down to VA when I can. I did steal away for an afternoon in Walton country (Schuyler, VA) in November to visit my friend Carole before she moved back to CA. The bed and breakfast she ran in Schuyler is no more, alas. I apologize for my lack of communication, although a real snail mail letter is en route to you as we speak. God bless and keep you and yours in 2025. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
Dear Ned, thank you so much for reading this and leaving such a heartfelt comment. I know you have been through so many changes with homes and where you are called to be. As a missionary family I can only imagine how difficult it can be at times, especially with your children growing and going away to college. Each home is a part of what we carry in our heart. I love that you had a childhood home for 40 years!
And your sweet mom. So glad you got to see her for the holidays. I'm watching it with my mom. She really misses my dad. Thankfully my brother is with her in Oregon. We had my mom for a few months over the holidays and it was very, very busy. God has been so good to bring us back together, but I will admit I was exhausted. And Carole has closed down the B & B? Isn't she the one that ran that for a long time and hosted many Walton fans over the years? I had so hoped to see that someday :(. I can imagine it was a lot. I am really looking forward to your letter! I love snail mail! :). I hope you got our Christmas card. We put my mom in it! :). God Bless you and keep you all! Say hello to Marisol for me! ox
Beautiful, Deb, and I love the pics. It is comforting to have home here, while we focus our mind on our eternal home. Thank you for this heartfelt and lovely piece ❤️
Deborah, you make me cry... in a good way.... Thank you for your heartfelt and authentic writing. Even though my own home is a humble rented apartment furnished in early American Flintstone, it means so much to me. It is my place of refuge in this difficult world. Temporary, as I live for my Eternal Home... Bless you, dear Deborah, Wendy
Dearest Wendy, I cry too. Our homes do mean so much, but it's that feeling of home we carry in our heart which lasts forever. The whole "how lucky or blessed were we." When we go deep with our Father, it prepares us for material loss and loss of our loved ones. Hard and agonizingly painful, but also so beautiful to know that we carry all our soul recognizes as home everywhere we go. Bless you too my friend. I will be catching up with you soon! Thank you for reading this! love, deb. oxox
So beautiful. I love the Matthew verses you have chosen. And the photos! Powerful images that tug me as I stare at them.
I agree, home is in the beating of our heart. ♥️
Thank you so so much! I love those verses. Good to live by for sure! Thank you for reading and for your lovely comment. There’s nothing like shadows and light I feel…
I hope this finds you doing well with that growing family! ox
I’m going through heart break as my wife and I are separated and I’m moving away from our family ‘home’ in France and heading back to England - ‘home’. I’ve had a really difficult day - I’m struggling with leaving the ‘home’ we’ve built over the past 8 years here in France. God put us together 18 years ago and I’m struggling to understand why God is not intervening to help us reconcile our marriage. Your post speaks to me so powerfully, I honestly read it and felt the spirit lift me up and say to me - your ‘home’ is with me and I’ll never abandon you - trust in me and you will be well. Our faith in Jesus and our Heavenly Father is so powerful and reassuring. Leaning and trusting in Him. This post was I believe inspired by Him for his family and flock. Do not build treasures on this earth but in Heaven. Amen. In God we trust. Thank you for sharing this post. Ps I almost deleted it from my email but something stopped me and made me read it !
Dear Kevan, I can't begin to tell you how much it means that you opened this. I am so sorry for what you are going through. It's really hard stuff and I'm glad reading this helped. I need to tell you that I wrote to Alex the evening of the 19th about publishing this piece. He said I could do it on the 20th and I thought it was maybe too busy of a day. Then the day came and I texted him in the morning and said, "maybe later today around 4." Then I texted and said, maybe noon. At 11 a.m. I told him I was publishing at that moment. I felt the deep need to do it. I hoped it would speak to someone and that someone, across an ocean, was you! I pray you have had a better more peaceful day and although you are really going through some sad emotions of loss, ...not all is lost. There is so much to your life and although I never saw that in 2020, with our situation, I also never saw the rebuilding of my life. It was internal. If anyone would have told me I would grow and create in new ways, I would have never believed them. I was mourning my old life, looking for it, but God knew there was so much more within me. So much more to do. I just followed. Sounds so simple, but it was a total surrender as I moved through each day. I would say things like, "I follow God/Jesus into every situation." Or... "today's going to be hard but He will be sitting next to me when the theater curtain goes up and I will embrace these moments until the curtain goes down with no other expectations." It was as if God was telling me these things. A friend of mine (many friends from the past were coming into my life, going through the same thing) called me and said, "you know, often rejection is protection." I took that with me, humbly, as I wondered what I had done? But as the years went by I could feel that protection as the story unfolded. It's a real soul searching time. Hard to let go but when we do God really gets in there and writes our story. It's never over. You will carry the beautiful with you and grow from this. He won't abandon you. He's got you! God Bless and take good care of yourself. deb ox
Thank you so much- really appreciate you for taking the time to write this reply - so much truth and support and encouragement in here. It’s certainly hard what I’m going through but I’m focused on Jesus and His promises and taking one step at a time. In some ways, I feel excited by the future - but to be honest, those feelings do not stay too long. I’m in that process of letting go and moving forward. Thank you
I wish I could hug you. I understand pain in general. I’m a big empath. Sometimes we have no other choice but to follow Jesus through it all. He does have plans for us and nothing is truly over. It’s just beginning and I pray you can grow a good relationship between you in the future. oxox
Thank you - really appreciate your very kind and supportive words- sending you a virtual hug back
I’m praying for you over here in Southern California! ox
Thank you - appreciate you and your prayers
I’d like to say a thousand words to make it easier, after reading what you’re going through but I will keep still and have faith that your process is sacred and eventually, the sun will shine through. Know that there are souls on the other end reading your thoughts, rooting for you. 💜💚💜💚
Honest - vulnerable - extremely insightful! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Bob! I have so much to catch up with here, especially you! I hope to chat soon. I imagine you are speeding around on Ethyl! ox
Ethyl=Freedom!
The images are beautiful and so is the real saga, Deborah. The feelings, emotions, memories and our experiences turn a house into a comfortable, cozy, secure home and it is sacred in every respect. Loved it thoroughly, Deborah. And I must mention that you are a fiercely strong inspiring soul.
Dear Vineet, this is the most beautiful comment. My heart is overwhelmed. Thank you. Home is most definitely sacred and we carry it wherever we go. I appreciate you, from what I imagine is one strong soul to another. ox
Pleasure is every ounce mine, Deborah. You are such an inspiration, dear. I love reading your pieces and get immersed in them wholly.
Thank you so much. I feel so humble that you read my writing. It also gives me the boost to keep going. ox
And it provides me with a direction to be my better self. 😊😊
Heartfelt thanks to you, Deborah.
You are so kind. I think I do it to keep me in line too. ox
You are truly incredible, Deborah. Keep up the great work for us and yourself. 🥳🥳
Home is where the heart is .l keep things that mean something to me.I am grateful for a roof above me.l like Matthew," Come unto me all who are heavy laden l will give you rest'.Yes your writing is a gift from God.Deborah . God bless you all.
I love Matthew Mary! and thank you so much for supporting my writing and encouraging me to keep going. Your words and kindness mean a lot. God keep you. ox
I like what you said about home. Realistically I’ve been looking for home all my life. This is the second response about home that I’ve written today. Both are about Jesus. Jesus is preparing a dwelling place for me. And He’s coming again soon to receive me (and you if you know Him as Savior and Lord) to Himself that where He is I will be also.
Hi Eldon, I feel the same, being an immigrant. I have searched for home my whole life too.
It truly is about Jesus preparing a dwelling place for us, as you say.
Thank you so much for reading and for your comment. God Bless you, deb
Deborah, Jesus saved us and sealed us with His Spirit (which is a down payment) that we belong to Him. He left us here to be ambassadors for Him. One day soon I believe He is going to call us home along with all true believers to be with Him forever. Then we’ll be home! What a glorious day that will be!
I agree! I love how C.S. Lewis says (in the meantime) "live for heaven!" This is why we must get "home" figured out here on earth. It's all about heaven! ox
It’s almost like being a fish out of water. But before Jesus ascended into heaven He told His disciples to “occupy” till He comes. The word occupy means to do business. I think that means that we’re to be diligent to serve Him and to do what He has for us to do.
Just wow… you win Substack again, my friend! You’ve written so much of life and love and faith into this…touches my heart and soul. Your way with words is like no other… words that resonate with all the houses I’ve lived in! I shared the physical, logistical, sorrow of always moving… but you are so right in that home is where our ❤️is, our family, our routines, chores, the plop-down place and the decorate it all up place…. most of all it is love! Love this so much. Love you more! Thank you for giving my eyes a new lens as I walk through my home today. 😘💕🙏🙌
Oh Joan, I love you. You are so kind to me. I am so glad this resonated with you. I knew if you saw it you would get those feelings you have carried in your heart and written about. We are so blessed to know these moments and to have had them. It truly is the love we carry. I love you more! to infinity! lol! BIG fan girl here! Thank you for this blessing. oxox
Hey Deb, thanks so much for reflecting on home. It's a good reminder that this world is NOT our home. Good thing, too, because it seems to be getting crazier and crazier. We have a job to point others to their eternal home as well. I love the quotes on home from Lewis to Holmes to the Bible. I remember standing in my room at my childhood home just before it was sold in 2017. It had been home for over 40 years and was a constant in my life of moving from here and there doing mission work in Mexico, Guam, Ecuador. It was empty, and in a way I felt empty leaving it. But life goes on, and our God is ever faithful. It's a metaphor for the things of this world's being overshadowed by the promise of eternal life and things that count for eternity. Last year was filled with bittersweet moments, getting ready to leave Joel and Amelia here in the States when we return to Ecuador later this year. It's hard, and yet, we know that God has them in His hands, and as parents of adult children we have no right to try to grab them out of His perfect will for them. Mom is also struggling after 60 plus years with Dad and now alone. My heart hurts for her. She was here for almost a week over the holidays. Now she is four hours away, and most of the time we talk by phone. I get down to VA when I can. I did steal away for an afternoon in Walton country (Schuyler, VA) in November to visit my friend Carole before she moved back to CA. The bed and breakfast she ran in Schuyler is no more, alas. I apologize for my lack of communication, although a real snail mail letter is en route to you as we speak. God bless and keep you and yours in 2025. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
Dear Ned, thank you so much for reading this and leaving such a heartfelt comment. I know you have been through so many changes with homes and where you are called to be. As a missionary family I can only imagine how difficult it can be at times, especially with your children growing and going away to college. Each home is a part of what we carry in our heart. I love that you had a childhood home for 40 years!
And your sweet mom. So glad you got to see her for the holidays. I'm watching it with my mom. She really misses my dad. Thankfully my brother is with her in Oregon. We had my mom for a few months over the holidays and it was very, very busy. God has been so good to bring us back together, but I will admit I was exhausted. And Carole has closed down the B & B? Isn't she the one that ran that for a long time and hosted many Walton fans over the years? I had so hoped to see that someday :(. I can imagine it was a lot. I am really looking forward to your letter! I love snail mail! :). I hope you got our Christmas card. We put my mom in it! :). God Bless you and keep you all! Say hello to Marisol for me! ox
Beautiful, Deb, and I love the pics. It is comforting to have home here, while we focus our mind on our eternal home. Thank you for this heartfelt and lovely piece ❤️
Dear Jenn, I just love you. I knew you’d relate. Thank you so much for reading and sharing. ox
I love you right back!! Thanks for reminding me what’s important ❤️🙌✨
Thanks Bob, God bless 🙏🕊️♥️.