Hearts In States

Yesterday I was looking at some homework that my daughter had done for school. They are studying geography, and on this particular worksheet, they were learning about the different regions of the U.S.A. On one of the maps, she had drawn a heart in Illinois, where my parents live (and where she lived until she was 4). She also drew a heart in Iowa, where my brother lives with his family. From those two hearts, she drew lines across the country to Washington state, where we live now. Inside Washington, she drew a heart, broken in two pieces.

Having lived the first 31 years of my life in Illinois, I was quickly brought to tears by this image. I could deeply relate to the feeling of longing for those places, and the people who live there. While we have a nice home here, and we’ve made a lot of friends since we moved, there really is, as Dorothy would say, “no place like home.”

With Thanksgiving upon us, I began to wonder how I could look at this simple little drawing and be thankful for our life as it is today. It would be easy to get caught up in the sadness and the longing for something I can’t have. But this holiday is for being thankful. It is meant to bring joy as the weather turns cold and dark.

I’m thankful for our move to Seattle because it has helped me appreciate the true meaning of family. We all get frustrated with our families, and we often can’t help but take them for granted. I won’t be taking my family for granted any time soon.

I’m thankful that I get the opportunity to go to the Midwest often, so I can continue to know my family, as well as my true home.

I’m thankful that my children recognize the importance of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Being far away highlights that for them like nothing else can.

I’m thankful for my friends here in Seattle who acknowledge my longing for another place, and help me feel at home here anyway.

I’m thankful for our neighbors who are friendly and supportive.

Moving to Seattle has been a Grand Adventure. I never could have known what I would experience here. Whatever the future may bring for me and my family, one thing is for sure: I am grateful for my experience here in the beautiful Northwest. I have gained a new perspective on life and relationships, and found unexpected learning and growth. These lessons are uniquely credited to this crazy place we live in.