~April 14
In the hearth, a merry fire burned, of cedar and of
sandalwood, so fragrant that an visitor smelled it from
afar. Calypso sat there, busy at her loom, her golden
shuttle darting and her light voice lilting with song.
A thick forest surrounded her home, with alder, poplar,
and cypress, whose sweet smell hung in the air like
smoke. And in the trees great birds had nested: owls and
hawks and crows of the sea. Before her door grew a
massive vine, so hung with grapes it seemed the fruit
would break the branches. Four streams passed nearby,
irrigating beds of violets and flowering herbs. Even the
gods were charmed when they visited Calypso’s home.
-Homer, The Odyssey
Home is important. Even animals know it. Watch the fastidious actions of birds as they build their springtime nests. Somewhere within them lies a pattern for such a nest, and each spring this pattern calls forth their efforts.
Within each of us, too, there lies a dream of home, of a place where we can be at peace and at rest. It is an interior space as much as an exterior one. It is a place where we feel safe and secure, where the outer world’s cares fade away. We build our homes around ourselves like protective cocoons. Yet no outer space, no matter how well-appointed or attractive, is ever more than a container for our inner selves.
As we find more peace within our hearts, we will discover that we can make ourselves safe anywhere, even far from the place we call home.
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