Do you have a home?

      Every year in November, we have a memorial service at our church for the homeless people who passed away this year. We have had 80 people three years ago, 60 people two years ago, and 50 people last year. It is good to see the numbers are declining. City of Concord and other agencies are working hard to reduce the number of the homeless population.
     When the worship starts, we pray and we call out the names of those brothers and sisters with the bell sound and lighting of candles. We show their pictures and remember them. Many friends and acquaintances come to the service and we remember them all together. After we name them all people come to the open microphone to share their memories with them. 
      Then at the end of the service, we have a bubble ceremony. Everybody blows bubbles, saying good bye to the souls that rise up into heaven. Our lives are short but beautiful like those bubbles. Our homeless brothers and sisters lived short but beautiful lives. We celebrate together.
      In the service, I said, they were homeless on earth but they have home in heaven. Our Lord promised to prepare a room (actually a mansion) for all of them. We have joy, knowing that they are not homeless any more.
     After the service, we eat a meal together. Many people share the meal with the homeless families. When I see them, I remember the short sentence: "Home is not made of woods and stones but with love and care." Ah, at that moment, I realize that they were not homeless here on earth, either. They were just houseless!