It was a quick trip, but I returned “home” from South Bend – my “home” in other ways.

When I was a freshman at Notre Dame – before the bus accident – it took some time to adjust to being away from home (at the time my home was Phoenix, Arizona).  I enjoyed Notre Dame, but it was new and exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. One weekend in November 1991, the swim team traveled to Chicago to swim three meets in just over 24 hours. It was brutal. We called it our “Illinois Hell Weekend.” Driving back to South Bend after the meets, I caught a glimpse of the Golden Dome as we neared campus, and my first thought was one of relief, “We’re home.”
That was a defining moment for me. It took me to leave, even briefly – and then return – to realize that Notre Dame had become my home.

I think that is true for a lot of people, in different ways with different locations. For me, South Bend is one of those locations. I can return at any time and feel that same comfort and familiarity that I did as a student. The campus has changed, and many of the people have changed as well. But no matter what the differences, there is no place like home.