Beyond Time and Place

I did it!  I finally finished watching all seven seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.  This was no small feat as there were technical issues and competing demands on my time along the way; however, I finally finished.  Woohoo!  The last few minutes of the final episode showed flashbacks of the different characters and key events in their lives during the series.  Seeing these events stirred something within me to recall certain milestones along the journey of my life.  For example: Spending my last night in Grandma's house in Austin with a faint realization that I would never set foot in there again.  As I dropped the keys in the mailbox I simply looked at the door, placed my hand upon it, and took a deep breath of air knowing this was it.  It is moments like that in which I feel an overwhelming peace and joy, not the fake happiness and contentment that the world gives, but the deeply rooted feeling of security knowing everything was okay in spite of whatever stresses or challenges may be swirling around me.  A similar feeling overtook me after the very first semester at Tarrant County College.  On the last night of the last class and last final exam, I took the long walk down the corridor to the parking garage where I was parked.  Before leaving for the grind of reality, I took one final gaze at this dream that had come true for me.  The dream was to attend college.  Not caring about anyting else at the moment, I simply shook my head and smiled before heading to the waiting car.  True peace and joy, the unexplainable feelings of home, are so much more than a particular time and place.  These elusive qualities are only given by God Himself and can be found only in looking back, remembering those milestones, those memories.  Others will never understand why we shake our head in remembrance or simply smirk at a subtle reminder of lives lived over the years.  No one needs to understand but you.  Have you found your "Home" in those memories?  I have!  And no one can take that away from me.