11 Feel-Good Stories About Finding Your Way Back Home

There’s nothing quite as heartwarming as a warm welcome after time away from home. Whether you’ve been gone for a few days, several months or even years, that moment of being wrapped in the arms of loved ones is unforgettable.

That’s why we asked our Reader’s Digest community to share their most touching stories of coming home. From a father’s emotional reunion with his daughter after serving in the military to college students returning after semesters away and even a sweet dog who couldn’t contain his joy, these feel-good tales will make you smile, laugh and maybe even shed a tear.

So read on for some of the most moving real-life stories of coming home. And remember: It’s never too late to cherish the moments that matter most with the people (and pets) you love.

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Reporting for daddy duty

After a 10-month tour in Afghanistan, my son Christopher was reunited with his daughter Catherine. They hadn’t seen each other since she was 9 months old. Amid all the hugging and kissing at the airport, Catherine was staring at her dad, trying to figure out who he was. When Christopher noticed her quietly looking at him, he said, “Let’s take a walk and get reacquainted.” He took her tiny hand and led her around the terminal. Twenty minutes later, daddy and daughter returned to the group laughing, the best of friends. —Dorothy Giebel, Clifton Park, New York

Bringing home the baking

I studied education at the University of Colorado, more than 1,000 miles from my home in Illinois, so I didn’t get to visit my family often. When I came home after my first semester, I stepped in the door and all my brothers enthusiastically called out requests for their favorite recipes of mine that they’d been craving. Chocolate chip cookies. Quiche Lorraine. Blueberry coffee cake. A huge ice cream sundae we called the Kitchen Sink. My mom greeted me with a laugh, saying, “I guess they missed you.” —Jody Emery, Lafayette, Colorado

Doggone it!

Whether you’re gone for five weeks or five minutes, a dog will meet your return with equal enthusiasm. My beagle was no exception when I came home from the hospital after giving birth. She was wriggling around, wagging her tail and barking … until she heard the baby in the carrier I’d set on the kitchen table. She jumped on a chair, sniffed around, looked at the baby, then whipped around with betrayal in her big puppy eyes as if to say, “How could you?” —Laurie Strand, Scottsdale, Arizona

A banner return

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We’d moved to Baltimore for my husband’s veterinary residency, and he had to spend a few extra months there to finish the program while our family settled back home in the country. We hung a giant poster at the top of the steps. It read “WELCOME HOME TO THE BEST: teller of tall tales, driving-instructor-to-be, golfing buddy, bluegrass fan, Spanish consultant, pet adopter, financial adviser, yoga poser, pug lover, computer wizard, mandolin player, garage organizer …” and more. When he walked through the door, his stressed countenance instantly dissolved into a smile. —Denae Babbitt, Maidens, Virginia

Ain’t no storm icy enough

When my husband and I moved more than three hours away from our son, he promised to call every Sunday and visit every month. We wanted to see him for Christmas, but he’d have to battle a nasty winter storm to make it happen. Still, he navigated icy country roads to come to us, doubling the trip’s usual time. We postponed Christmas by a day for his arrival, but it was one of the best holidays ever. That my son would make it through such treacherous weather to be with us was its own miracle. —Beth Pallwitz, Pasco, Washington

The new British invasion

In the 1980s, our conservative-dressing daughter left our Connecticut home for an exchange program in London. When she came home, we couldn’t spot her at the airport until she tapped us on the shoulder. She’d intentionally passed by us multiple times, unrecognizable to us in her striped punk jeans, a wild printed T-shirt and crimped hair with bangs. We still laugh about it today—especially because she’s now a successful New York City fashion designer. —Allen Nixon, Farmington, Connecticut

Family resemblance

My sister and I had teaching jobs in Houston, which made it hard for us to get home to see our mother and my niece in Pittsburgh. We decided to fly them down to us for a vacation. When we went to pick them up at the airport, we put on Groucho Marx gag glasses, with a big nose and a bushy mustache and eyebrows. My mom and niece were the first passengers to deplane—­and they were wearing the same glasses. —Lorraine Allen, Delmont, Pennsylvania

Hang on to your helmets

My husband, an avid motorcyclist and member of the Iron Butt Association (the real name of a group of long-distance motorcycle riders), embarked on a bucket list item: the IBA’s Ultimate Coast to Coast to Coast Insanity ride. Motorcyclists must ride from Key West, Florida, to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and back in under 60 days. It’s a grueling cross-country ride with strict rules. I was so nervous that I took out a life insurance policy and followed the social media account he made to post his progress. The ride held lots of twists and turns, but none better than the final one: the big “Welcome Home!” sign on our garage door and the entire neighborhood cheering as he pulled into the driveway. He crushed all 11,897 miles in only 22 days. —Sherrie Facchine, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Dressed for the occasion

We once dressed as the Clampetts from The Beverly Hillbillies while picking up our kids from the airport. My husband sported a yellow hunting hat and ratty jeans with suspenders, and I wore a full-length flowered dress, straw hat and wire-rimmed glasses. People followed us just to see whom we were meeting. The kids didn’t know what to think. Or maybe they did—our son turned around and tried to get back on the plane. —Vicki Wilson, Ocean Shores, Washington

Enveloped in love

After being away for two weeks, I was glad to be home, but was miffed that my boyfriend wasn’t waiting to welcome me. There was only an envelope taped to the front door. The note inside instructed me to go to the couch. There I found another envelope and a note that read “I missed sitting beside you.” In total, six envelopes directed me to locations in my apartment, each with a special note. The last one was in the freezer on my favorite ice cream: “Let’s celebrate.” Then my boyfriend (now husband), who had been hiding in his car, walked in the door. —Glenda Ferguson, Paoli, Indiana

Gotcha back

My parents saw an announcement in the paper that someone with the same name as me was getting married at a local church. They thought it would be funny to bring the clipping when I returned home from Army service. On my flight home, I sat next to a new mother. Since the tarmac was slippery, I offered to carry her newborn as we deplaned. When my parents saw me with an unknown woman and a baby in my arms, they thought their joke had backfired and that the wedding announcement really was mine. I had the last laugh on that one. —Patrick Burke, New Iberia, Louisiana

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