Home Again

Uncle Bubba had been away for several months working on a particularly complex project related to his job and had returned home last week. I gave him some time to enjoy his former home life with Sweet Pea and his familiar homestead before stopping by for a visit. We sat together on his porch and watching the sunlight dance on and off of the breezy green leaves the surround his home, Bubbie calmly reflected on the experiences he’s been through, always pointing out the highlights and putting the best spin on the events and people that have touched his life. I could tell that he was still a-ways off from feeling comfortable at home; he was obviously reconciling things that were and things that are. As we talked he shared with me how the past four months have changed him and yet he knows he’s not yet developed into the man he hopes to be. He was honest in accessing how life went on at “home” without him. His family still celebrated birthdays and holidays. They had get-togethers and cookouts. The place where he normally works didn’t shut down; it didn’t even, hardly skip a beat. His friends missed him but stayed busy with their own lives, “as it should be” he notes. But now he’s home again and true to Bubbie’s typical view, it’s a chance to start again and live life anew. He feels that this is an opportunity to get things right and live life on his own terms, which to him means living a life that is pleasing to God. He says that over the coming days and maybe weeks he is going to put a plan together to live a more balanced life and then put that plan into action. That’s one thing that attracts me to Uncle Bubba; in his view life is to be lived. He is as much the actor as he is the audience and always enjoys the play.