  Spiritual
This week: Home, Sweet Home Edited by: Kit of House Lannister  
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Home... it's a special place. Everybody needs to feel at home somewhere. Home brings peace and tranquility of the soul. The problem is, sometimes it's not where other people would love you to feel at home... or even where you'd like it to be.
kittiara
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At the time of writing this newsletter, I have just returned from 12 days in my country of birth. I'm still experiencing a bit of an inner turmoil. It was nice to see my family again - some of them I hadn't seen in nine years. Others I had never met before, as my family is somewhat fractured and contact had only been established a few years ago, in the case of my grandfather, and last year in the case of my aunt and great-aunt.
I knew beforehand that meeting my grandmother would be difficult, because that meeting would also likely be a farewell, considering her health. My first meeting with my grandfather would be likely to be a farewell, too, because he's also experiencing some serious health issues. I was correct - it was difficult - a mixture of joy and gratitude that I had the opportunity to do this, and sadness at the goodbyes. A few tears were shed.
What I hadn't anticipated was just how out of place I would feel in the country I grew up in.
I think that when people say of immigrants that they should "go back home", such people don't realise that what is home is not that straightforward. I've been "home" the last couple of weeks, and it certainly didn't feel like it. I felt like a tourist, visiting a place I wasn't familiar with. Sure, I recognized some sights, and I enjoyed tasting some of my favourite dishes again (my waistline has suffered a bit because of it), but over the last decade or so there have been massive changes and I wasn't there to experience them as they happened.
The city I used to live in is less safe than it used to be. Crime has risen, and I was unprepared for it. My mother had to warn me on occasion to take better care - living in a small village where nothing much ever happens had blinded me to the tricks of those who are up to no good.
The way people talk and interact is different (and I don't just mean the language), attitudes are different, expectations are different, social customs are different... I felt like a fish out of water, and it became clear to me that, over time, without quite noticing it, I had adapted to my current country of residency. Not that things are better here, just, well, different.
I've become different.
All these changes, within and without, caused some anxiety on my end and probably a few disappointments all around. I wanted to feel as though I belonged, but I couldn't. There were times when I wanted to go home, and with home I meant the one I had moved to and settled in, not the country I'm still legally a citizen of.
I do love my country of birth. It's unique, it has its own charm, and it definitely has lovely food. I most certainly love my family members who still live there, and I was grateful that they welcomed me with open arms and open hearts. But I don't feel I belong there anymore. I belong here.
Home, as has become clear to me, is a spiritual thing. It's something you feel a connection with. It's in your heart, and in your mind, and in your soul, and the one place where you can truly be yourself.
You can physically be anywhere in the world, live anywhere in the world, but being at home is different. Being at home brings an inner peace that, at least in my experience, cannot be found elsewhere.
I am glad that I have found mine.
kittiara
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Here are some of the latest offerings in the Spiritual Genre. I hope that you will enjoy them  .
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This is about what some girls want to become, what they want to see in themselves.
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The Spiritual Newsletter Team welcomes any and all questions, suggestions, thoughts and feedback, so please don't hesitate to write in!
Incurable Romantic - kit, your newsletter "Pass It Forward" was wonderfully written, and you make some wonderful points. And never stop letting your own feelings show in the newsletters - that only makes what you have to say some across even stronger and more believable. Keep up the wonderful work!
Thank you so much! Also for encouraging me to let my own feelings shine through. I write this newsletter from the heart, but I am not always certain that that is the right approach. It is nice when it's appreciated!
~~~
sandirev  - Well said and thank you as you have made my day.
;)
Thank you so much for your kind words!
~~~
Joto-Kai  - "Hell" exists in doctrine for an obvious reason: "hellfire and brimstone" sermons are what parishioners pay for. But it's a form of witchcraft, bewitching people like that, and I think that most would be shocked to see how little support the Bible has for these claims of everlasting punishment. "Sheol" and "Gehenna", actual words the biblical authors supposedly used, have nothing to do with our literary vision of Hell...
It's definitely a topic that I would like to research further, perhaps for a future newsletter, but certainly out of a personal interest. So thank you for putting me on the right track!
~~~
Joto-Kai - I recommend continuing to donate only to those whose methods meet with your approval. After all, cruelty to animals does not merit cruelty to (uninvolved) humans!
Wise words that I completely agree with. Thank you!
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platinumbwords - I really enjoyed your newsletter this week; thank you for sharing!
I also donate, to sponser a child in a country different from my own. It is a month-to-month one, but I can afford it. The organization is also wonderful, making sure to keep the monthly donation affordable as well as allowing sponsers the ability to communicate with the child(ren) they are sponsering. I mention it because of the similar circumstance that we both find means to help those far away, which is no less important than helping those in close proximity to you (personally and location-wise.)
May I ask what the organization in Ohio that you donate to is? Cat-loving fats of mine would be sure to love donating to a place that doesn't put down animals and lets them roam as they please!
Thank you so much for your kind words, and for what you do! Is the organisation you support something similar to the Foster Parent Plan? I sponsored a child through it once, until he reached adult age, and I found it a wonderful experience!
The organisation in Ohio is called Friends of Felines. You can see the center here: http://www.ustream.tv/ffrc - there are also links to the main site, blog etc on there. They have had a few problems with the cam, lately, because they were one of those affected by the powercuts, but it seems to be up and running once more. I hope that you and your friends will enjoy watching the kitties!
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Zeke - It sounds like there are no stray cats in the UK. Only joking this piece is so true.
Haha there sure are! My own felines were found wandering the countryside, and there are some wonderful organisations in the UK, like the Cats Protection League, who I tend to support by donating clothes to the charity shops. I just love felines, wherever they are  .
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Wishing you a week filled with inspiration,
The Spiritual Newsletter Team
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Spiritual: July 18, 2012 Issue [#5164]
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