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.”
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Dr. Olapeju Simoyan is a physician, writer and Sinai and Synapses Fellowship alumna who explores the intersections of faith, medicine, science and the arts. Through her writing, photography and public speaking, Dr. Simoyan encourages thoughtful conversations about how science, spirituality and creativity can enrich our understanding of the human experience.
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