"Coming Home"

It was 87 degrees and the sun was shining.   I finally arrived in Miami after a long three months in the northeast and I couldn’t wait to see my family.    I was back in a tropical state and the air felt monumentally different than what I had recently become acclimated to.
Words cannot describe the feelings that being in Miami evokes for me.   This town is not only remarkably beautiful and a worldly melting pot, it is my home.   It will forever be my home regardless of where baseball takes David and me.
This season is the first of many to come (crossing fingers) that I will be on the road with David.   Ever since I can remember, I have said that I would never abandon Miami as my home, despite having to split time every year in two distinct cities.   Being right smack in the middle of baseball season surrounded by all new faces, while in a city that is foreign to me, has been an experience to say the least.   As a result of all that has transpired this year, I have been overcome by the phenomenon change.
Change, in many ways is a great thing.   Although I love deep rooting my claws into the sand, I realize that change is what forces growth and propels us forward.   I have been extremely happy alongside my husband as we venture through this journey called life.   Nevertheless, I will be completely honest and say this – life in Miami was far more comfortable.    David and I had a home that we built; I had recently jumped back into real estate with remarkable success, all the while surrounded by my family.   There is a familiarity to Miami that no one can ever take away from me and every time I return the feelings come rushing back.
Less than a week ago I took a short trip home to Miami.  Since David had just returned from an eight-day road trip a few hours before my flight, I was distraught about leaving.   Still, a part of me couldn’t resist the excitement of being “home” and spending some QT with my parents and sister.  The entire time that I was in Miami I was on the go with barely any time to sleep; I sat in terrible traffic everywhere I went and yet I have an entirely new appreciation for my amazing hometown.   There is nothing “perfect” about Miami, nevertheless, it is a breathtakingly beautiful town with established history and enough culture for a lifetime.   Perhaps I am biased, but I think it is an astounding place to call home.
Before I knew it, I was back on a plane en route to my most recent of “homes.”   I was just as excited to fly back, only this time my excitement for returning was solely in my reunion with my husband and furry children.   In only the 72 hours that I was gone, I had missed my newly established family more than I could have anticipated.   This is a family unit separate from the one that I was born into with my parents at the head, it was now MY family, a family that David and I have created to be our own.
Although we don’t have children yet, I know the time will come very soon.   For now however, our children are our animals.   They warm our hearts and bring us unconditional love beyond measure.   Even though I missed my parents and sister like crazy, I have been managing pretty well going several months at a time without visits.   Prior to this year the roles were reversed; I used to have unlimited visits with my parents who lived only 30 minutes away while seeing David only a handful of times every year.   Up until this point I had built a strong shell that protected me from heartbreak and allowed me to go long periods of time at far away distances.  Somehow though, my shell has completely shattered in regards to David.   I have become used to being by his side, so much so that I loathe being apart.  Regardless of when he leaves for 8 days or 3 days, the distance between us pains me.
I realize that Miami will always be my hometown, but I have come to an even stronger realization that my real HOME will undoubtedly be where my husband is.   I may not always love the city we are in, the roof over our heads or the people that surround us, but none of that matters in comparison to being by David’s side.   David is my home and where my heart is and as long as we are together, I am home.