"Homes"

There is an old adage, adopted from the title of a 1940 Thomas Wolfe novel, that states, ‘You can never go home again.” Actually, the title is “You Can’t Go Home Again,” but it’s very close and you can probably catch the drift. The saying is meant to infer how nostalgia causes us to view the past in an overly positive light, and how people tend to remember places and people from their upbringing in static terms.

Last weekend Jami and I had the chance to return to Christ Lutheran, Norfolk, Nebraska, for their sesquicentennial celebration. I could easily have said their 150th anniversary, but how often do you get to use “sesquicentennial”? I was a vicar in Texas during their sesquicentennial, so I’m partial to the word, to boot.

In any event, it was a wonderful time to (1) see our family in Omaha on the way there, (2) reconnect with dear, dear friends from our 15 years in Norfolk, and (3) see how both Christ Lutheran and Norfolk, itself, were moving forward. Norfolk is on the cusp of the eastern third of Nebraska where two thirds of the population lives. Its downtown is thriving, the hospital is expanding, and the new construction is impressive. Christ Lutheran is undergoing some modifications and its Child Care and School are growing. Thanks be to God!

We did not see our old house and the trip was too brief to go into depth. So, we really didn’t go “home”. But then again, the truth is that Peoria IS our home, and we are most thankful to be blessed in this place! Still, it was good to see the “old stomping grounds,” to see such dear friends, and to know that God continues to work in all the corners of His vineyard in a variety of ways.