“What the word home brings to mind before anything else, I believe, is a place, and in its fullest sense not just the place where you happen to be living at the time, but a very special place with very special attributes which make it clearly distinguishable from all other places.” ~Frederick Buechner, The Longing For Home

I run for many reasons. Primarily it provides a creative outlet for clear thinking. Often, when I’m trying to work out a big decision or organize a plan, running gives me the space to do that. I’ve learned I can record thoughts and ideas in my Notes section on my phone as I methodically move forward. The rhythm of my feet on pavement allows my brain to unwind and I think about things very differently.

Last week, I was thinking about #HomeStories on my run as as I came along this quiet ball field that has daisies growing in the infield instead of Little League teams warming up for a ball game. I wondered how many kids are stuck at home missing this special place. Home is not always the structure you live in. Home is that special place that provides safety, security, freedom. For many years, the tennis court was my home. I started playing as an adult while my boys participated in swimming lessons. Truth be told, I started playing because I really wanted to wear cute tennis clothes. Little did I know the 4 indoor courts would become my sanctuary. It didn’t matter what was going on in my life, the moment I walked through the green curtains that flanked the end of the courts, everything was forgotten. 

I was very sick about ten years ago. I had terrible migraine headaches and an autoimmune disease that caused pain to sear through my body. Tennis was my refuge. I signed up to play as many days as possible. It was the only time where I could actually forget about the sickness. Once the ball was tossed in the air the sickness was gone. The court became a place of security and safety. The sounds of the court, the smell of fresh can of balls being opened, my tennis pals offering encouragement and joyful banter. It was a huge part of my healing. 

I haven’t been able to play tennis since I was diagnosed with breast cancer in December of 2018. My goal is to get back on the court by next summer. Life is so very different than it was all those years ago. I need tennis in a very different way now. It will be interesting to see how it feels to walk though those long heavy green curtains. Will it still feel like home?

In honor of home we are dedicating the next few months on our blog to posts about       Home. We would love to hear from our readers…how do you describe home? Submit photos, poems or a short essay. Each home story will be reviewed and could be placed on our blog. 

If your story is featured we would like to use your first name and city. Send all submissions to homes@steveandtracy.net. Use #homestoriesbysteveandtracy. Feel free to enclose a photo with your story. I can’t wait to hear about your home.

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