Hey friend. I hope the sun is shining on you today. I pray you feel seen and loved and cared for. But in case you don’t, in case you’re far from home today, know I’m praying for vision and purpose over this time to well up your heart today.
I wrote this for the friend who’s leaving.
I wrote this for the friend who’s lonely.
I wrote this for the friend who feels like a misfit where she’s been positioned.
And of course most of all, I wrote this for me. Because yes, I’m fine, and most days, I’m great, but also, some days the cracks are more apparent. And someone needs to be reminded today that Instagram only tells about 2% of the story. Friend, your real matters to someone today.
Nametags
Okay, all I’m gonna say
Is that, please God,
May I never be the one
To ask someone to put
On a nametag.
Now, yes, I know why
They do it.
But what I’ve come to say
Is that when I get home
At the end of my day,
That sticky nametag
I peel off my chest
Is just another reminder
That I spent today
In a place where
No one knows my name.
•
And here’s the thing:
I don’t need anyone
To tell me that.
My GPS told me
On the way over here
That, no, I don’t know
Where you live.
My awkward knock,
Shoes on or off?
And the chili’s just a little bit off,
And I don’t have a
Favorite blanket to claim.
Then, to top off that day,
All I’m trying to say,
Is please don’t make me
Peel off that nametag, too.
•
Because when I do,
I remember.
I remember what it feels like
To belong.
Where the dog knows my name,
And the hugs don’t feel fake.
And I never thought
I’d feel faint
Just because I had to ask
Where the mugs are at.
And don’t even get me started
On the pit that knots
In my stomach
When I remember
What it’s like to have
A favorite mug
In a kitchen
That definitely isn’t mine,
But where I’ve definitely
Done the dishes,
More than a few times.
Yeah, I remember
What home feels like.
•
And here’s the other thing:
I write my own name
Inside that sticky frame
Because I’m the only one
In the room
Who knows my pain.
And when I peel it off,
In an empty house,
After a quiet drive home,
It’s just like a band-aid,
Rip it quick,
So you don’t feel the burn
Of the iron brand
Of remembering
The place
Where everyone
Already
Knows your name.
•
So, I guess in the end,
What I’ve really come here to say,
Is I pray I’ll never
Ask you to make
Your own nametag.
On that “someday”
When I’m back
In my place
Where everyone
Knows my name,
When I don’t have
To remember and miss
The spot I always sit,
I’ll have put in my time,
And I’ll remember,
But for you,
This time.
When that stomach-pit hits,
I’ll see it in your eyes,
And you won’t have to ask
Where the trash can is,
Because this time,
I’ll remember.
I’ll know.
That ache you feel for home,
Friend, I know.
It’ll get better.
I promise, it’s not forever.
All this,
It’s so you’ll remember
When it’s your turn
To be home again.
•
Friend, will you trust me?
Someone needs you
To be able
To remember.