here and there...

I live Here,
but I'm not from Here.
I came Here
and I want to be Here,
but I can acutely sense
that I'm not a part of Here,
and I'll never be from Here,
by those of Here.

When I lived There,
I wasn't from There, either.
But I came There
and I wanted to be There.
The difference was
I was instantly included
as a part of There,
by those of There.

When we moved There,
a flock gathered round to welcome us.
They unloading our belongings fresh off the truck.
Though we didn't know them
and they didn't yet know us,
the message was clear:
You are a part of us in There.

Unfortunately, it was the opposite Here.
When we came Here, with a brand new baby in tow,
not a soul was here to help,
except a sweet husband and wife that knew we were coming
and another recruit that they found.
They, too, were not from Here,
and they were soon moving There.
It was quite a different story,
and initially I longed to be back There.

Don't get me wrong,
Here has been wonderful,
and the people of Here really are, too!
I want to be close, I want to be in.
But for the first six years,
Here has seemed closed
to those not from Here
who dare to try and belong.
Don't get me wrong,
I have no desire to go There.
I love Here.  I am Here.
I press on, and hold onto the hope that at least one day,
I will truly be a part of Here.

Connection has come mainly with those here
who aren't from Here.
Funny how it's our mission and our ministry
to welcome those from There
and help them belong Here
when I don't always feel it myself.

Will it always be this way Here,
and what would it take to belong?
Is Here only a place for you
if your mama and her mama are Here?
What if you're from There, but Here now?
How does someone put down roots Here
where there were no roots to begin?
Will we always be on the outside looking in,
finding community with others from There?

I am Here.
I love Here.
I'm from There,
but someday I hope to belong Here.