Dear Reader: 

Yesterday while I was waiting on my oncology appointment I started flipping through Family Circle…and a word jumped out at me…homesickness.  I had just talked about that word in the blog two days before.

This time however, there was a picture of a candle…it was called a “Homesickness Candle.” This immediately peaked my curiosity so when I got home I pulled up the website:

The Original Homesick Candles – Bring back nostalgic memories‎

The idea behind these candles is there is one for each state…so you pull up the state you are ‘homesick’ for and a special scent has been made for that candle using scents from natural ingredients indigenous to that state. For Example: I pulled up South Carolina and…

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I real several articles on homesickness at Christmas and the most challenging cases of homesickness center from polar hot and cold locations at Christmas. For example…one Irish newspaper published letters from Irish immigrants living in Australia or New Zealand and missing the cold weather, the coats, the hot toddies and pictures of their friends doing all the traditional caroling, sitting by roaring fires, etc. (While they were experiencing the beginning of summer…shorts and water games.)

Another area that took more adjusting to (especially at Christmas)… for European and American immigrants… was living in the United Arab Emirates.  The causes again were a mixture of the weather, seasons, and cultural differences from western culture. Everything that represented Christmas customs and traditions back home had to be tweaked and adjusted to a new environment. (*And the same goes for immigrants living in western cultures used to other traditions at Christmas.)

Homesickness at Christmas, however, is not just relegated to foreign lands, far from home…homesickness covers many areas…like the loss of a loved one, a pet, a break-up in a relationship, having no serious relationship and wanting one, health issues or a hospital stay over the holidays…even the loss of a childhood Christmas stocking can take its toll emotionally during the holidays.

I thought the quote in the title photo put a different spin on the origin of many homesickness cases…we aren’t just sad about missing family, friends or loved ones when absent…we are equally concerned that we won’t be the same people we were before we left…that person will change and adapt to a new environment, new friends and acquaintances, customs, etc. and a different person will slowly evolve…not necessarily bad or good…just different.

We, ourselves, sometimes get homesick for the child within us, the memories of the crazy adolescent, or the innocence of first young love. We wish we could go back and see ourselves differently then…as we can do now.

Perhaps the answer to inner homesickness and how to turn it around… comes from Winnie the Pooh and Dr. Seuss too. We need to learn to turn our homesickness upside down and be thankful we have someone to miss or memories to smile about.

So until tomorrow…When homesickness hits…be thankful we have loved ones to miss and memories to cherish forever.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

I miss the fall leaves but it just makes me appreciate the trees more when the leaves turn to blossoms… with their return in the spring…covered in most ‘blooming’ attire. ( I also appreciate the last maples leaves on the few trees still covered in them.)

After my doctor appointment I met Mollie at the East Bay Deli to get Rutledge and Lachlan’s “Boo Boo” stockings back and give Mollie her big pink bag (literally) from Honey filled with all kinds of items for Eloise…unbelievable! (It was so crowded at the deli we couldn ‘t find room to open it but Mollie was excited to get back home to do so. Thanks Honey…you are too much girl! Amazing.)

With this unexpected warm weather I got out last evening and walked up and down the street…so happy to see “Big Red” and all the other flowers beaming and budding in glorious red colors on the porch.