Going Home

LeBron James gets it.

Recently, this basketball legend shocked the sports world by leaving the glitz and glamor of South Beach, Miami, for Cleveland. James began his basketball career in Ohio (where Cleveland is located, just in case geography isn't your thing), where he was born and raised and played high school ball before being the #1 pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He played a few years there before bolting to Miami, where he won a couple championships. His decision to leave torpedoed Cleveland and he went from beloved son to hated villain. I've been to both Cleveland and Miami and the the places could not be any more different. Most people would chose Miami because of the sun and beaches and food and a whole slew of other reasons. People from other countries flock to Miami in droves. Not so much for Cleveland.

James made his move back to Cleveland (dubbed the "mistake by the lake" because it it borders one of the Great Lakes) because he missed it. In a letter he wrote for Sports Illustrated, he explained that he wanted to go home because where he grew up and his love for Northern Ohio was bigger than the game of basketball. He recognized something that most of our residents at Samaritan House have known the whole time they've been homeless: a sense of home and community is a powerful thing.

When we were kids, many of us dreamt about the day we could leave our home and get out of town. The allure of exotic new locales and adventures beckoned us to exist our little burgs and towns as soon as we could. But, as we grew older, some of us came to view our home towns with a little nostalgia and a sense of pride. We could identify with other expatriates we would bump into. And as we assimilated into our new surroundings, there was still a large part of our being that belonged to the place we grew up.

I've spoken to many of our residents over the years who portray a sense of longing to get back to where they grew up. Exciting places like Fargo, Bakersfield, Spokane, and Ft. Collins. It's not necessarily because these places are destination locations. The reason people miss where they come from is because they are tied to an identity and this identity can foster a sense of belonging, inclusion, and pride. Surroundings are cherished.

Cultures and customs help dictate how we grow up and view the world. They make sense when they are the dominant ideas but as we live in other places with more divergent thoughts, we change. Our comfort level wanes and we can desire the security of being in a place where life 'made sense.' James wanted that feeling. Our residents often want the same thing but are frustrated because they've had to leave the very places they forged an identity with.

Home is much greater than an address on a mailbox. It's a force.