Reflection Point.  A sense of belonging

Have you ever found yourself spending most of your time in a place yet feel like you’ve never arrived? I’ve just come from visiting my in-laws in Kenya. This, after months of  my husband, Sammy being unwell  due to COVID. The trip was interesting in many ways. To my surprise, I discovered a lot about myself through a trip I had thought was meant for Sammy to reconnect with his family. A big take-away for me was a message of home-coming, that screamed at me throughout our time in Kenya. I have spent 25 years of my life in marriage and have gone home a number of times. Yet, I have never felt the sense I got this time – a call to come home. I am yet to discover what else is entailed in this call.

I know that the call to come home is not a call for me alone. For some people, this call may have nothing to do with their physical homes. Some may be finding themselves in workplaces where they don’t really feel like they belong. Whatever that means for you, the reality is that it’s difficult to find fulfillment in life and a sense of security until you have come to that place of home-coming. This requires an internal journey of reflection and honesty about where you are at, a reflection on what it is that you need in order to have a sense of belonging and practical steps to walk towards home.  

For me, one of the practical things we had to do is ensuring that we have a physical home of our own in that place where we call home. Whilst my call for homecoming is much deeper than a physical house, I am also aware that I needed that physical house as a symbol of belonging. 

What do you need in order to feel you belong? What practical symbols can you think of to help you in your own journey.