I have come home!!

 I have moved.   To the small town that my Mother and Father grew up in.  I still have aunts and dozens of cousins here.

I never thought I would move here.   I have always been a city girl.  I grew up in the city, and worked in the city for a huge, multi-national technology firm.

But I retired 5 years ago and have been re-evaluating my life since.    I find that just when you have more time for all your friends, they have also retired and moved away.  Closer to the country, in small towns.  So ... if you want to spend time with your friends you move also.

Main Street

The town I have moved to has a main street with small interesting businesses.  The bigger stores are all on the edge of town as seems to be usual   Every one says hello and asks how you are.   Neighbours invite you over for coffee to introduce you to other neighbours.  Everyone walks downtown for the Rememberance Day ceremonies, and there are banners from the light posts with pictures of people from town that died in the wars.  And everyone knows the families!!  There is a Farmer's Market and a Christmas Market; a Santa Claus parade that the high school band and all the Girl Guides and Scouts march in. Everyone turns out to watch it and share coffee and baked goods.  The local park is lit up with millions for lights and everyone walks or drives through it and oohs and aahs.

When I moved in, a cousin recommended a painter.  When I had him over for a quote, he said "your last name is Kennedy .... do you know xxx and xxx Kennedy?"   I said they were cousins.   He said he had told his 84 year old mother that he was coming here and she remembered my Mom and Dad.  His niece is married to one of my cousin's sons.  As we were talking and figuring out all the people we knew in common all I could think of was   "This is exactly why I moved here".   

I felt like I was home.