Butterfly

Albeit hesitatingly, I believe I am shedding my quest to get out of southern Maryland. This may be met with surprise or apathy by you the reader but, I wanted to spread the good news: my burden has been lifted! It's no easy task trying not to be where you live! This summer has taught me there are joys here I may not find in a town that is oh, I don't know, say within a 90-minute drive to a mall. The kids and I and those of you ambitious enough to visit, have thoroughly enjoyed our 3-minute drive to the beach! You read correctly: three minutes. Both my kids (praise God) are beach bums. We have spent hours building castles, jumping waves, and just relaxing in the sand and surf. In addition, my kids will grow-up boating/sailing, swimming and enjoying all the wonderful opportunities a community on the water can provide.

We have weather that permits outdoor play (minus the snowsuits) nearly all but three or four days a year. (Take a deep breath MA peeps). My husband's job is as secure as they come. DC is a short ride away. I have friends here who I would miss if I left. See where I'm going with this?

No one needs to point out all the benefits of living in and around Boston. I won't dwell on it; my fragile awakening could easily be shattered, and that would be a shame. I have spent the better part of the last four years relentlessly plotting how we could get back to New England, even after the closing of NAS Brunswick, which effectively eliminated any rational plan.

Perhaps the biggest blessing this summer was my actual visit to New England. It's not that I had a miserable time or that the weather was bad. The opposite happened: everything was perfect! I saw many of the people dearest to my heart, the weather was phenomenal, I relaxed, I laughed, the kids had a great time, life felt easy -- it was wonderful. I guess somewhere inside of me I always worried I would be forgotten by those whose friendship and love I most cherish, but no longer live near. For some reason during this visit, this summer, that fear was eradicated.

So, even though a trip to the mall is nearly a day-long adventure, and even though I only have two radio stations to pick from, and a whole bunch of other complaints I now choose not to make, Calvert County is where I live. As I venture to embrace this new way of being, I do so with a heart warmed by the love of those back home.