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     If we had a choice to leave or to stay, many of us would spend our lives in the home where we were born.  Louisiana has the highest percentage of residents born in-state than any other state in the US; four out of five stay.  They share their lives with close extended families of many generations and with friends they have known since childhood.  Business and political connections made are legendary.  Those who stay a lifetime witness the changes and become part of the history of their home state.  I was not born in LA but have lived here for over 30 years, raising three daughters  through their high school and college years.  One remains here with her family while the other two have moved away.    
     Often we make the choice or circumstances make the choice for us to leave our hometown, to go to other cities and states, to start anew in an unfamiliar territory full of strangers.  Sometimes, careers demand us to move multiple times, and we adjust and readjust to places away from home.  Family gatherings only occur during vacations or holidays.  I left my home state when I married and relocated many times.  Of course, there are advantages of leaving home, experiencing other places with people of different backgrounds and perspectives.  If fact, many people are glad to have the opportunity to not only see the world but also live in different places.
     Whether you have left or have stayed where you were born,  you need to create the comfort of home wherever you live.  However, I sometimes wonder what life would have been like if I had stayed, especially when I hear "Back home again In Indiana .... how I long for my Indiana home."