Christmas is a nostalgic time for many people. It is a time when we warmly reminisce about the times spent with our families around the fireplace or dinner table, catching up and exchanging gossips till the wee hours. This year, home takes on a new meaning, as all of us are pretty much “stuck” in one place, no thanks to Covid. So perhaps we should take this opportunity to take stock of what home means to us during this Christmas season and say a thanksgiving prayer for all the blessings we received during the year, virus notwithstanding. Here’s a poem by Atticus and a song by John Denver to help us along in our reflections of home.

“Home” by Atticus

Today
I found an old book
on my shelves.
I opened the pages
and smelled the smells,
and for a moment
my mind forgot its place and time
as I walked into a cabin
so many miles and years away.
There was a fire on
and the kettle played its tune.
The sun was shining
and my family was there,
waving me down to the beach –
I can’t tell you
how incredible it is
to be there now
writing to you
from the cabin of my youth.

“Back Home Again” by John Denver

Like a fire softly burning and supper on the stove
The light in your eyes that makes me warm.
Hey, it’s good to be back home again …

“Back Home Again”: Lyrics

There’s a storm across the valley, clouds are rollin’ in
The afternoon is heavy on your shoulders
There’s a truck out on the four lane, a mile or more away
The whinin’ of his wheels just makes it colder.
He’s an hour away from ridin’ on your prayers up in the sky
And ten days on the road are barely gone
There’s a fire softly burning; supper’s on the stove
But it’s the light in your eyes that makes him warm.

Chorus:

Hey, it’s good to be back home again
Sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend
Yes, ‘n, hey it’s good to be back home again

There’s all the news to tell him, how did you spend your time?
And what’s the latest thing the neighbors say
And your mother called last friday, sunshine made her cry
And you felt the baby move just yesterday

Chorus:
Yes, ‘n, hey it’s good to be back home again, yes it is
Sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend
Yes, ‘n, hey it’s good to be back home again

And oh, the time that I can lay this tired old body down
And feel your fingers feather soft on me
The kisses that I live for, the love that lights my way
The happiness that livin’ with you brings me

It’s the sweetest thing I know of, just spending time with you
It’s the little things that make a house a home
Like a fire softly burning and supper on the stove
The light in your eyes that makes me warm Chorus:
Hey, it’s good to be back home again …