What Makes A Place Feel Like Home?
As I write this, I’m packing for a trip to Ireland – and travel has always been one of my great joys. I love exploring new places, experiencing different cultures and seeing the world through fresh eyes.
Yet every time I leave, something interesting happens. No matter how beautiful the destination, I eventually find myself thinking about home.
Home isn’t just a place on a map. It’s a feeling. It’s familiar faces at the grocery store, neighbors stopping to chat on a morning walk, and volunteers showing up year after year to make community events possible. It’s the traditions that connect one generation to the next. And nowhere do I feel that sense of home more strongly than in Orinda.
As a member of The Orinda Association and part of the team helping organize our beloved 4th of July celebration, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing some wonderful behind-the-scenes moments.
One of my favorites happened recently when we notified this year’s 4th of July T-shirt contest winner, Claire Coffey, a fifth grader at Del Rey Elementary.
Claire’s mother videoed the moment she learned she had won. As she read the email, Claire threw her arms into the air, squealed with delight and could barely contain her excitement. This July, she’ll ride in the parade aboard an Orinda Association vehicle proudly displaying her winning design.
That winning design, though, wasn’t the only outstanding effort. It was selected from an impressive collection of artwork submitted by Orinda students from kindergarten through seventh grade. While only one design could be chosen, many other young artists received recognition, and their names and artwork are featured on the Orinda Association website. Looking through the entries is a wonderful reminder of the talent, creativity and enthusiasm of Orinda’s next generation.
Claire’s work, however, stood out, and watching that video unexpectedly brought tears to my eyes – not because Claire won a contest, but because she experienced something much bigger. In that moment, she felt seen. She felt celebrated. She felt connected to something larger than herself. She felt a sense of belonging. That’s the magic of community.
Long after our community parade ends on July 4th, the candy has been gathered from the street, and the flags have been folded away, what remains are the memories we create together. The child waving proudly from a decorated vehicle. The veteran receiving applause. The neighbors reconnecting along the parade route. The volunteers arriving before sunrise to help make it all happen. These moments become the threads that weave a community together.
Years from now, Claire may not remember every detail of the day she learned she won the contest, but I suspect she’ll remember how she felt. That’s what community does. It gives us moments that stay with us long after the celebration is over.
This year, as we celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday and The Orinda Association’s 80th year of service to our community, we are reminded that traditions endure because each generation chooses to carry them forward.
So, this 4th of July, as you watch the parade pass by, take a moment to look around at the children waving flags, the families gathered in lawn chairs, the musicians, performers, veterans, volunteers and neighbors sharing in a tradition that has brought our community together for generations.
Together, they are the story of Orinda.
And in a world that often feels rushed and disconnected, that story – and that sense of belonging – is worth celebrating.
And that, perhaps, is what makes a place feel like home.