Home. Abode. Dwelling place. It is good to be here. My Lenten journey has taken me far from my usual paths, yet the trajectory eventually curves back to the place where my heart lives.  Where I abide.
 
My thoughts linger on this archaic word “abide” which means “to remain” and has its roots in the concept of waiting quietly for the right time. It was the right time for me to journey forth and now is the right time to be home.
 
And now I root myself here, again. Here where I am loved. Here where I find solace and strength. Here where I am known with all my gifts and shortcomings. Here–which is a place that itself abides within the cover of God’s protection, within an oasis of abundance in the midst of the wilderness.

The one who dwells in the shelter of the Most High,
abides under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91:1