Thanksgiving weekend is winding down. The turkeys and bellies have been stuffed, the Black Friday frenzy has passed. On this most American of holidays, more than 54 million of us traveled to and from home – a great time to reprise one of our favorite segments about the meaning of home.

The average restless American will move about 11 times in their life. Studies show the very idea of home resonates with our deepest emotions. But what makes a home? And do the memories of our experiences influence who we become? On this weekend after Thanksgiving, Americans are marking the official start of the holiday season. It’s a special time when many will go home and others will create new home spaces.

Last year around this time, we explored the theme of home through two books: "This is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You Are" by Melody Warnick, and "This Is The Place: Women Writing About Home," edited by Margot Kahn and Kelly McMasters.

Guests:

Melody Warnick - Author of “This is Where You Belong: Finding Home Wherever You Are,” and is an established freelance journalist whose work has appeared in top magazines including “O: The Oprah Magazine,” Fast Company, Better Homes and Gardens and Quartz.

Margot Kahn - Co-editor of “This Is The Place: Women Writing About Home," and author.

Kelly McMasters - Co-editor of “This Is The Place: Women Writing About Home," former bookstore owner and author.

Later in the show…

Jonathan Mande knows first-hand the power of music on our minds and our feelings. Between growing up in a war-torn Congo and immigrating to United States with no knowledge of the English language, drumming has been one of the few grounding constants in his life.

Mande is now an education and mental health advocate based in Brookline, Massachusetts. He joined us last year to talk about an educational program he founded, “Drums and Wellness,” which uses drumming as a form of therapy and a method to teach life skills like listening and collaborating.

Guest:

Jonathan Mande - Musician, education and mental health advocate, and founder of the "Drums and Wellness" program.