Pieces of Home

The bright colored leaves of Fall are making me homesick.  I guess it happens this time of year . . . even before moving away, I would usually get quite nostalgic with the change of the season.  The fall colors are a point of pride for Michigan, where you may even take a weekend trip away to see them at their peak.  British Columbia is one of the most beautiful places on earth, yet though I have admired the bursts of color here and there, it can't compare to the trees at home.  Of course, it's not really about the leaves.  I miss home.  To help me feel better, I've continued to add little reminders of "home" to my new home.  I started with a small collection of Pewabic Pottery from our first home together and received Woodward Avenue Brewery glasses as a gift to remind us of our second house (we tend to move a lot!)  These are all proudly displayed in what is now the playroom, until I figure out where they can be relocated.  It doesn't end there --- on my last two trips home I've felt almost a tourist, buying a Starbuck's mug of the Detroit skyline and most recently a Detroit Tigers t-shirt (in the airport!)  To take it a step further, I've postered University of Michigan all over a corner of my classroom!  This is my way of dealing with living thousands of miles away from family and friends - though they are just objects, the memories they represent comfort me.

Do you display, collect, or wear reminders of where you're from?  How do you handle homesickness?