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What Makes a Place Home? Lessons From Hershey and Hymns

What Makes a Place Home? Lessons From Hershey and Hymns

Last updated on: October 9, 2026 at 7:06 am by Olapeju Simoyan, MD, MPH

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What Makes a Place Home? Lessons From Hershey and Hymns 2026-10-09T07:06:19-04:00 Olapeju Simoyan, MD, MPH

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

A quiet, cozy room at twilight with an antique upright piano beside a large window. A warm lamp illuminates an open hymnal on the music stand, while through the window, rolling Pennsylvania farmlands and distant brick houses are bathed in a soft lavender, gold, and dusk-blue evening sky.

For some of us, “home” changed several times while we were growing up, so we learned to be “at home” wherever we were, knowing that the location of “home” would soon change. Home was sometimes just where our families happened to be living at any point in time. | Image via Synaptic for Patheos.

Defining Home: Physical, Musical, and Spiritual Lenses

The movie “Hershey” is scheduled for release in November this year (2026). It is based on the life of Milton Hershey, the chocolatier and philanthropist after whom Hershey, Pennsylvania, was named. Milton Hershey was born to Henry and Veronica “Fanny” Snavely Hershey in Derry Church (later Derry Township), Pennsylvania, on September 13, 1857, shortly before the American Civil War.

Milton Hershey is often described as one of America’s most influential entrepreneurs and philanthropists, but his story also includes unsuccessful business ventures. Undeterred by these, he founded the Lancaster Caramel Company, which he eventually sold to focus on building a chocolate factory that became one of the largest in the world. Milton Hershey’s vision extended beyond chocolate, and he established a thriving community with housing, schools, parks, and other amenities for his workers and their families. The community came to be known as Hershey, in his honor. He decided to build a factory in what then seemed like the “middle of nowhere” and established a town for his workers – he gave them a place to call home.

A Place to Call Home

I am currently working on a book about Hershey, PA, which will be part of my “A Place to Call Home” series. It is the second book in the series, where I write about and share photography from places I lived in after my medical training. The first was “Scranton, A Place to Call Home.” I lived in the Scranton, PA area for ten years – the longest I have ever lived continuously in any one place. Hershey was never really “home” for me, but because I attended medical school there, it holds a special place in my heart. I have been reflecting on the concept of “home” and realized that it has different meanings. For some of us, “home” changed several times while we were growing up, so we learned to be “at home” wherever we were, knowing that the location of “home” would soon change. Home was sometimes just where our families happened to be living at any point in time. For others who didn’t move while growing up, home is simply where they were born and/or grew up.

“Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.”

– Robert Frost

The above quote by Robert Frost speaks of “home” as a physical place, but that is only one perspective.

Let’s explore other perspectives on the concept of “home.”

The Concept of “Home” in Music Theory

In music theory, the concept of “home” takes on another dimension. The tonal center is considered the “home” note – it establishes the key of a piece of music and gives a sense of resolution.

Chord progressions lead back to the tonic, or “home,” giving a sense of closure. Even without any knowledge of music theory, a listener can intuitively anticipate when the “home” note is next. When the chord progression goes in another direction, there’s an element of surprise or suspense. Finally, when the tonic note (or I chord) is played, the feeling of resolution gives the sense of arriving at “home.”

Musical compositions sometimes use a structure that involves returning to a “home” theme, reinforcing a sense of familiarity.

The sense of resolution and familiarity that is associated with the concept a “home” in music can serve as a metaphor for what a physical home should be – a place of safety, comfort and stability.

A Spiritual (Heavenly) Home

“This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through,
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue;
The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door,
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.”

Albert E. Brumley/Anonymous

I grew up singing songs about heaven regularly, including the one above. I remember being alone in my room in boarding school and thinking about how I was “longing for heaven.” At the time, I probably thought this was being so spiritual, but now I look back and wonder why a young child should be so focused on heaven. Now, if I heard that a child was “longing for heaven,” I would be very concerned and would recommend a suicide risk assessment.

However, there is a time when it is absolutely appropriate to be focused on heaven.

My recent TEDx talk includes a performance of the third verse of Amazing Grace in the context of a story about a dying patient.

Through many dangers, toils and snares

I have already come:

‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.

– John Newton

In the talk, I make the case for including music in education – at all levels, with examples of why such training would be beneficial, regardless of career paths. The talk ends with a bedside scene that was based on a true story about a colleague who, as a young girl, said she wanted to be a “singing doctor.” She became a doctor, but only after experiencing burnout did she realize she needed to re-embrace her childhood dream of being a “singing doctor.” She took it one step further and took her singing to the bedside, giving her patients the gift of music. In my presentation, I sang the third verse; the words “grace will lead me home” seemed very appropriate. When medicine reaches its limits, music can still play a vital role, even as a patient prepares to transition to their heavenly “home.”

And while we are still on earth, we need earthly homes. Where do you consider your earthly “home”? I’ve had many homes during my lifetime, and right now, “home” is where my bed is.

Stay connected for updates on “Hershey – A Sweet Place to Call Home.”

Listen to my TEDx talk on the Transformative Power of Music.

General Christian

Home and Religion

Transformative power of music

About Olapeju Simoyan, MD, MPH

Dr. Olapeju Simoyan is a physician, board certified in family medicine and addiction medicine, with a special interest in the connections between faith and health. She strongly believes that faith and critical thinking are not mutually exclusive. As a female physician, Dr. Simoyan is also interested in women's issues and writes about religious abuse and trauma, with a focus on how misinterpretations of biblical texts have led to the perpetration of abuse within church settings. She has combined her writing and photography in several books, including Living Foolproof, a devotional based on reflections from the book of Proverbs. You can check out her author page on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Olapeju-Simoyan/author/B0BP7RSYBL You can read more about the author here.

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