FOR THE HOME IS NOT A PLACE.

[IT IS A WAY OF BEING.

FOR MOST OF MY LIFE…

I THOUGHT HOME WAS A PLACE.

A HOUSE.

A PIECE OF LAND.

A FAMILY.

A RELATIONSHIP.

A LOCATION WHERE I COULD FINALLY REST.

I SPENT YEARS SEARCHING FOR THAT PLACE.

WHAT I DID NOT REALIZE…

WAS THAT I COULD STAND IN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE ON EARTH…

AND STILL FEEL LOST.

IT TOOK ME A LONG TIME TO UNDERSTAND WHY.

BECAUSE HOME IS NOT A PLACE.

HOME IS A WAY OF BEING.

HOME IS THE PLACE WITHIN ME…

WHERE I NO LONGER BETRAY WHAT I HONESTLY KNOW.

WHEN I STOP LYING TO MYSELF…

WHEN I STOP PRETENDING…

WHEN I STOP ABANDONING MY OWN CONSCIENCE…

SOMETHING VERY QUIET BEGINS TO HAPPEN.

I COME HOME.

THIS HOME CANNOT BE BUILT WITH WOOD.

IT CANNOT BE BOUGHT.

IT CANNOT BE GIVEN TO ME BY ANOTHER PERSON.

IT CAN ONLY BE DISCOVERED…

BY RETURNING TO HONESTY…

AGAIN…

AND AGAIN.

THERE WAS A TIME WHEN I THOUGHT PEACE DEPENDED UPON MY CIRCUMSTANCES.

I THOUGHT I NEEDED TO BE ALONE.

I THOUGHT I NEEDED EVERYTHING AROUND ME TO CHANGE.

HONESTY SHOWED ME SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT.

PEACE WAS NEVER WAITING FOR MY CIRCUMSTANCES TO CHANGE.

PEACE WAS WAITING FOR ME TO STOP ABANDONING MYSELF.

THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING.

TODAY I FIND MYSELF TRAVELING THOUSANDS OF MILES WITH FRIENDS.

A YEAR AGO I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT I NEEDED SOLITUDE TO PROTECT MY PEACE.

NOW I AM DISCOVERING SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL.

THE HOME I FOUND IN SOLITUDE HAS TRAVELED WITH ME.

IT IS NO LONGER DEPENDENT UPON BEING ALONE.

IT IS NO LONGER DEPENDENT UPON EVERYTHING GOING MY WAY.

HOME HAS BECOME THE FOUNDATION FROM WHICH I LIVE.

THIS DOES NOT MEAN I NEVER FEEL SAD.

IT DOES NOT MEAN I NEVER FACE CHALLENGES.

IT DOES NOT MEAN I HAVE STOPPED GROWING.

IT MEANS I NO LONGER HAVE TO LEAVE MYSELF EVERY TIME LIFE CHANGES.

THAT HAS BEEN ONE OF THE GREATEST GIFTS OF HONESTY.

IF YOU ARE READING THESE WORDS…

PLEASE DO NOT THINK I AM ASKING YOU TO LIVE LIKE ME.

I AM NOT.

I AM ONLY STANDING BESIDE YOU AS A COMPANION.

THERE WAS A TIME WHEN I BELIEVED SURVIVAL WAS MY ONLY WAY TO LIVE.

I WAS WRONG.

THERE WAS ANOTHER WAY.

I HAD TO DISCOVER IT FOR MYSELF.

YOU WILL HAVE TO DISCOVER YOUR OWN PATH AS WELL.

BUT MAYBE…

JUST MAYBE…

IT WILL HELP TO KNOW THAT SOMEONE ELSE HAS WALKED THROUGH THE DARK HOURS OF HONESTY…

AND LIVED TO TELL YOU…

THAT THE JOURNEY WAS WORTH IT.

NOT BECAUSE IT MADE LIFE PERFECT.

BUT BECAUSE IT RETURNED ME TO MYSELF.

I SPENT YEARS SEARCHING FOR A PLACE WHERE I COULD FINALLY FEEL AT HOME.

I NEVER EXPECTED TO DISCOVER THAT HOME WAS NOT A PLACE I HAD TO FIND.

IT WAS A WAY OF LIVING I HAD TO REMEMBER.

HOME IS NOT WHERE I LIVE.

HOME IS THE PLACE WITHIN ME…

WHERE HONESTY HAS BECOME MY FOUNDATION…

LOVE MY RESPONSE…

FACTS MY GUIDE…

AND HUMILITY MY COMPANION.

FROM THAT HOME…

PEACE IS NO LONGER SOMETHING I CHASE.

IT IS THE PLACE FROM WHICH I NOW WALK.

⸻

: HONESTY JUST NEEDS AIR.

: LOVE HAS NO CONDITIONS.

: FACTS HAVE NO FEELINGS.

: HUMILITY HAS NO EGO.

THE FOUNDATION REMAINS THE SAME.

MAY WE ALL HAVE THE COURAGE TO RETURN HOME…

ONE HONEST STEP AT A TIME.]

FOR THE BLESSING OF YOUR CHOICES IS WITH YOUR SOUL’S-EVOLUTION BY THE POSTMASTER: Ephraim-H: Troyer.

: ANCHOR.

: PILLAR.