Homeward Bound

Homeward Bound

Lyrics by Marta Keen Thompson

“In the quiet misty morning
When the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing
And the sky is clear and red,

When the summer’s ceased its gleaming,
When the corn is past its prime,
When adventure’s lost its meaning,
I’ll be homeward bound in time.

Bind me not to the pasture;
Chain me not to the plow.
Set me free to find my calling
And I’ll return to you somehow.

If you find it’s me you’re missing,
If you’re hoping I’ll return,
To your thoughts I’ll soon be list’ning,
In the road I’ll stop and turn.

Then the wind will set me racing
As my journey nears its end,
And the path I’ll be retracing
When I’m homeward bound again.

Bind me not to pasture;
Chain me not to the plow.
Set me free to find my calling
And I’ll return to you somehow.

In the quiet misty morning
When the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing,
I’ll be homeward bound again.









This has long been one of my favorite songs. It's on my "favorites" playlist on my phone. It speaks to me on my levels.

As I contemplated Mother's Day this past week, I listened to this song and thought of my children. I am a slow learner, and one of the hardest lessons I've had to learn is to let go of my of children, and let them find their own way. No longer can I control them as I could when they were little. I cannot make their decisions for them. I cannot make their choices. I must set them free to find their own path. 

I hope they are influenced by our (their parents) examples, and by the things we tried to teach them, and by our love for them. When I see them making choices I know will not ultimately lead to true happiness I must step back and let them find their way, and trust that they will remember, and at some point, return home to what they know is right, and will know they are always loved.

As I think of my feelings about my children, and the message of this song, my thoughts are naturally drawn to my Heavenly Father, and my relationship with Him. He loves me so much that he has set me free. He has given me agency....ultimately so that I will choose on my own to follow Him. But, even when I don't, He does not, and will not, take that agency away from me. And He loves me always.

In my mind's eye I see Him looking down on me, His heart aching when I make a choice that takes me away from Him. He longs for me to remember the path home to Him. And He is anxious that I follow that path, so that I can return to Him. I see Him with His arms open wide waiting to pull me to Him and hold me tight in His embrace. His love for me is intimate, personal, and eternal.

I want to love my children as my Heavenly Father loves me. Being a mere mortal and very flawed I don't even come close to loving my children as they deserve. But, I do love them more than I love anything or anyone else on this earth (except perhaps their father). I love them enough to let them make their own choices in this life. And whatever their choices, my desire is that they will not doubt my love for them, that they will see by my actions how much I love them, and they will feel my love for them as we make memories together. And like Heavenly Father, my arms will always be wide open, ready to enfold them and hold them tight.

As Garth and I have recently listened to this song, our thoughts have reached forward approximately a month from now, when WE will be returning home from our mission...home to friends, home to family...and home to our children, where we can once again embrace them, hold them close, and tell them in person how important they are to our happiness, and how much we love them.