(iphone photos of my airport journey) There is something about flying home during the holidays that is a quintessential moment in our modern lives. And being from a small town I feel this even more when I arrive at my departure gate at the airport. The group of people gathered around me are not the groups at other gates- they are ragtag and even a little lost. To come from a place like Mississippi is to always search for something other than home- one can spend an entire lifetime replacing it and never be fully satisfied. I find a small, strange, pleasure in identifying the fellow prodigal children as they make their way home each year.

I'll only be home for a few short days before Christmas but it will forever be an introspective and alienating experience for me- even a little sad. Its like laughing with tears in your eyes.