Article January 5, 2009 Issue

to feel at HOME

BY BRIAN ASHER

I'd walked in circles through the forest near my dorm room at least a dozen times ... past the bubbling creek, over the little wooden bridge, through the aspen trees that shimmered in the autumn wind. But since I'd been on my cellphone talking to Dad for an hour, I'd hardly noticed its beauty.

I missed being at home.

It was the fall semester of my freshman year in college. Living 3,000 miles away from home, I felt utterly alone and suddenly disconnected from all the good I'd experienced during the past 18 years. I longed to be where my life had been full of love, friendship, and joy.