I am happy to share that the Innovation on Medium has published a piece I wrote in summer 2015.
This piece was dear to my heart. I wrote it on the way back from the Great Lakes in Ontario. The Great Lakes were as lovely and restorative as the disappointment I was recovering from was troubling. The contrast between the accepting, majestic water bodies and the stress before was extreme and would be comedian, if the story itself had not been so sad and maddening.
I was relieved to come home and to be safe. I felt glad to be alive, glad to wake up in my surroundings.
Seeing this piece published brings peace to my memories, a little more closure to a dramatic chapter, more forgiveness to the people who caused it.
My writing does not reveal the events, because I focused on what I wanted to keep – the wholesome elements of the trip… and the feelings of integration and gratitude to life.
Enjoy.
Nanda Jurela 
There is a poem by a German poet, Margot bickel… who pointed your description in more generalized aspect. She said … one’s homeland is not a place on map but in the heart of his beloved …
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Thank you for making me aware of the poet, Reza. I will look her up.
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Back in the early 2000s, I had a New Year’s resolution to “feel at home wherever I am.” I have long believed home is where your heart is, not a place. As I watched my dying mother cry about how she wanted to go “home”, it was not a place but rather a set where she felt comfort in her own skin. Her brain deteriorated and she never felt at home again without the help of mind-dulling drugs.
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It must be unforgettable, poignant and very moving to witness a parent cry for “home”.
I am glad to read about your New Year’s resolution so long ago, and that you aimed to feel at home wherever you find yourself, and that you even developed a life philosophy from that wish.
For sure, wherever we feel connected and at ease, is a possible home, or at least a pretty comfortable spot to be in.
Feeling good in our skin is a huge blessing.
Thanks for sharing your story. I appreciate it.
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