My Favorite Place

by Renee Moreno

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The place where I feel most comfortable isn’t a place. Well, not a specific place. It’s been my parents’ game room, my college apartment, a friend’s first apartment, and now my friends’ living room. It’s not about the specific location, but the people I spend time with in those spaces.

As a self-proclaimed introvert and homebody, choosing someone else’s house and spending time with people says a lot about how comfortable I feel surrounded by these people. Being around my people in whatever space we’ve deemed “our” hangout location is soul-fulfilling.

Nowhere else do I feel more comfortable and more myself. It’s a place where I feel known. Where someone will throw me a blanket before they turn on the fan since they know I’ll get cold. Where no one asks what kind of sauce I need for french fries, if I want them to pass the refried beans, or what flavor of potato chips I mean when I ask for them. (Spicy Ketchup; no, thank you; and Salt & Cracked Pepper). Where I know I’m in a safe space for whatever I’m feeling that day.

It’s been a great joy to grow alongside these people. While society and life might throw challenges our way, I know that with this support system, I can get through anything. And that’s a great comfort to me every day.

Loving God, at Christmas we remember You made your home among us. We give you thanks for the safe and holy spaces that feel like home to us. May we live our lives in such a way that others feel safe with us. And may we always see the holy in all Your creation. Amen.